


United We Stand

by WillowEdmond



Series: Cinnamon Girl [7]
Category: Professional Wrestling, WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-07-02
Packaged: 2018-05-18 21:07:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 38,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5943118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WillowEdmond/pseuds/WillowEdmond
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When an incident outside of the WWE brings a lot of attention to the former member of The Shield, the WWE decides it's time to put the boys back together.  But, they are determined to do it right.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

To say Seth was not fond of The Waffle House would be an understatement. The small restaurants, open 24 hours a day, might be a staple of the south, but he looked at them as an invitation for a heart attack, that is if the botulism didn't get you first. Seth much preferred restaurants off the beaten path that served delicious food and had an excellent selection of beers and wines. At the Waffle House, he was lucky if the diet Coke wasn't flat.

Yet, when it was 2:00 am, on a Tuesday night and you were headed down the interstate to the next House show, sometimes you had to compromise.

"Guys?" he called out to his traveling companions, Jamie and Joey, the gentlemen who played his security guards. "I've _got_ to get something to eat, so, like it or not, I'm stopping at the next Waffle House I see."

"Well," Jamie said, philosophically, "we are in Georgia, it shouldn't take that long to find one."

* * *

 

To say Dean was fond of the Waffle House would an understatement. Sure, the food wasn't great and the variety offered minimal, but they were open all the time, they had eggs, and you could get your hash browns just about any way you would ever want hash browns. He liked his, covered, smothered, chunked, and capped. But what he liked most about it, is that they were usually quiet, especially on a Tuesday night. There was likely to be no more staff than a couple of waitresses and a cook, and one of them was likely to be sleeping in their car. For customers, there was likely to be one booth with a couple grabbing a bite to eat while at the counter was usually a guy who was three sheets to the wind, drinking coffee and mumbling to himself. Otherwise? Probably empty.

Dean liked that. Even if anyone recognized him, it was usually cool. It was like everyone in there couldn't believe their eyes that these famous wrestlers would really go to Waffle House, their eyes must be playing tricks. Of course, there were a few times when they were mobbed, but most of the time, Dean could eat his eggs and hash browns and drink the horrible coffee and be left alone.

"Roman," he said, looking over at the tall dark haired man who was looking out the window of the rental vehicle, "I'm stopping at the next Waffle House I see."

Roman laughed, softly. "Smothered, covered, chunked, capped and diced?"

"Oh yeah, onions!" Dean exclaimed, "I forgot about onions."

* * *

 

Kayfabe was dead, except that it wasn't. That was the best way Roman knew to put it, if anyone new to the business asked him about it. Gone were the days when if your character spoke no English, you would risk arrest rather than to break that character, as had happened to his father. But there were still rules to be followed and when you were on the road, you were still considered to be on the WWE's time, so you'd better mind your P's and Q's.

So, when he and Dean walked into the Waffle House and saw Seth sitting with Jamie and Joey, he hesitated and looked at Dean. _Technically_ , there was nothing wrong with going and sitting with Seth, but again, that weird Kayfabe assumption. It wasn't _wrong_ , but it wasn't _right_. They could probably get away with it, but if someone decided to take a few pictures of all of them, stuffing their faces with hash browns that would show up on Instagram the next day, the Powers That Be, AKA Trips, Stephanie, and Vince, would not be pleased. So, Dean and Roman slid into a booth on the other side of the restaurant. Seth, playing the part, rolled his eyes when they walked by as if to say "Oh god, I can't even go to the _Waffle House_ without those idiots coming around."

The place was dead except for a guy at the counter drinking coffee, looking as if he'd been rode hard and hung up wet who was staring morosely into his coffee cup, not seeing anyone around him, and a couple sitting in the far corner, looking pretty enthralled with each other. The two waitresses one who looked to be in her twenties, the other in her sixties, looked up and over at them, and Roman thought he saw a flicker of recognition in the older woman's eyes, but she said nothing, probably telling herself she was having a flash back to the days when she did acid at Woodstock. The younger one looked him up and down as if he were a peanut butter sandwich in a famine, but she obviously wasn't a wrestling fan. Roman had been around long enough that he knew the difference between starstruck lust and regular lust.

There was no sign of a cook, so the older woman was working the grill. "Cook is probably sleeping in his car," Dean remarked after their order was taken. Roman made sure the young waitress saw his wedding ring and if that wasn't enough, found an excuse to mention both Jessica and Leah. To give her credit, she had stopped her flirting almost instantly.

While they were eating, the couple sitting in the corner started arguing, softly at first, but the guy, a tall, husky guy who probably outweighed the tiny, thin woman by 150 lbs, started raising his voice. "Why do you talk to him?" he demanded, "I told you not to talk to him anymore!"

The woman's response could not be heard by anyone but her boyfriend, but it didn't make him happy. "I don't want to hear excuses," he hissed, his voice carrying across the tiny restaurant. "I want you to stop _talking_ to him!"

Dean was frowning. His back was to the couple, but just hearing was upsetting enough for him. "Shit, I wish he'd shut the hell up!" He muttered.

"Be cool, bro," was Roman's suggestion, "This isn't our fight."

"Let me guess," the guy said, sounding even more upset, if that were possible, "You're _fucking_ him, aren't you? Aren't you?"

That was too much for Dean, he turned in the booth to look at the guy. "Do you mind?" he called out.

As Roman could have predicted, Dean's remark did not instantly calm the stranger down. "Mind your own business!" the stranger snapped.

"I'd like to," Dean responded, "but you're being so damned loud, it's impossible!"

"Oh, geesh," Roman muttered, "Dean, chill, okay?"

Roman wasn't the only one concerned about the situation, the girl was gathering her purse. "Bruce," she said, "C'mon, let's go."

Bruce looked for a moment like he was going to argue, then thought better of it. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a wad of bills. He separated a few from the handful and threw them on the table, obviously deciding not to follow the rules of the Waffle House and pay at the register, and shoved the rest back into his pocket. Neither of the waitresses felt they should try to enforce the rules and there was a collective sigh of relief heard around the place as Bruce and the girl left, the girl looking down at the ground, Bruce strutting in what he likely thought a cocky swagger, but actually looked more like he had a pant load.

As they walked out the door, the atmosphere in the restaurant lifted, and Roman almost thought the lights in the place even got brighter. He and Dean returned to their food, glad that was over.

Except that it wasn't over.

Roman was sitting with his back to the parking lot, but Dean could still see out the large windows. "Shit," he said, and rose to his feet.

"Shit, what?" Roman asked.

"Trouble," Dean said, and rushed for the door. As Roman watched him, he also saw Seth rushing for the door.

"Call 911!" Seth shouted behind him.

There was no way Roman was going to let his friends and brothers face whatever was out there alone. He rose to his feet and ran outside. "Stay in here!" he told the waitresses.

Roman expected to see Bruce messing with his girlfriend, that seemed to be the most likely reason for trouble. But instead what he saw was Bruce and his girlfriend at the edge of the parking lot, staring into the distance, and what he smelled was the acrid smell of burning wood. And now that he smelled it, he realized that there was an awful lot of smoke in this parking lot. He peered to see through it and saw down the road and across the street, a house burning. And he could barely make out Seth and Dean, running towards it.

"Holy shit, if anyone is in that house, they're going to be a goner," Bruce remarked.

That's exactly what Roman was thinking. It was a small house, and it was late at night. And he'd bet dollars to donuts, there was a family in that house. "Tell them inside to report there's a fire!" he shouted to Bruce and his girlfriend and went chasing after Seth and Dean.

He caught up to them in the driveway to the house, where there was a small car parked. "Guys, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that there is a swing set in the side yard," Dean yelled. "We've got to get inside!"

"What are you _crazy?"_ Seth screamed. They were close enough now that heat was pouring off the place. Only one half of the house seemed to be burning, but it was burning brightly and spreading rapidly and he looked like he was bathed in a foggy orange glow.

"I told Bruce to call the fire department," Roman said, and coughed as the smoke hit him.

"Good," Seth said, "Bruce was about to smack the girl, that's why I ran out, but then we saw the fire!"

"Guys," Dean said. "We have to do _something,_ we have to see if there's anyone inside."

"Go _in_ there?" Seth shouted, "Are you fucking _nuts?"_

" _No!"_ Dean had to roar, as the sound of the fire was getting louder. "But there's a swing set in the side yard! There could be _kids_ in that house!"

"Aw shit," Roman said, realizing he was right.

"What if that was yours and Kayla's house?" Dean yelled at Seth. "And three guys saw it and just stood in the driveway watching it burn? How would you feel _then,_ Seth? Knowing three guys stood around watching, waiting for the fire department while your wife and daughter _burned_ in there?"

"How do you think they're going to feel when they tell Kayla and Payton I died rescuing _another_ family?" Seth retorted, but the three of them were already running up to the house.

It was obvious the front door wasn't a possibility, so they ran around to the back. Roman kept hoping to hear sirens in the distance, but so far, no luck in that department. But, there was a sliding glass door around the back of the house that lead onto a small deck, which was better than nothing and at this point, you settled for what you could get when it came to luck. _I'll bet these folks don't have smoke alarms or if they do, the batteries are dead,_ Roman thought, realizing he could hear nothing but the fire.

There was a heavy wooden lounge chair on the deck. Dean didn't hesitate, he picked it up, raised it over his head and hurled it at the sliding glass door, which shattered. The moment he did, a blast of orange heat shot out.

"We can't go _in_ there!" Seth insisted.

"Yes we _can,_ " Dean insisted right back. "Or, stay out here if you guys are chicken shit, I'll do it!" Without waiting for a response, he ran up the deck.

"Dean!" Both Roman and Seth yelled and without thinking about it any further, they followed him.

Roman had seen movies before where brave people ran into a house, ran through the fire and rescued people, and it always looked pretty simple, run fast and avoid the flames. The reality wasn't so simple. The house was blazing hot, so hot that it instantly made you feel exhausted and the smoke was so thick you could barely see two inches in front of you. _We're not firemen!_ Roman though. _We're not dressed right or trained right, we're gonna die because of this. We're going to leave three kids fatherless, just to save one family. Dean is crazy!_

Dean, however, didn't seem to be bothered by such thoughts, he was heading away from the blaze, towards the other side of the house, almost as if he knew the lay out of the house by instinct. It wasn't until this was all over, that Roman would realize this was a small ranch house, and most ranch houses had pretty much the same lay out. When Dean wasn't on the road, he _lived_ in a small ranch house with his wife and son, of course he knew the layout.

The three men charged into the hall, grateful as the smoke wasn't as thick down here. There were four doors, three shut one semi open. Dean looked into the open door. "It's the bathroom, guys!" he shouted. "I'll take the door at the end of the hall, you guys take the other two!"

Roman took the door closest to him and opened the door, rushing inside. The room was dark, but thankfully not very smokey and hot. As his eyes adjusted, he saw a figure laying on a small, single bed in the corner. He ran over and without thinking, threw the covers back and grabbed onto a young boy.

The child woke up instantly and screamed. Which, later Roman would realize was a pretty healthy reaction. "Fire!" Roman yelled, "We have to get out of here!"

Roman didn't know if the kid heard him or not with the screaming, but if he did, the kid either didn't register the words, or didn't believe him, because he started beating on Roman with skinny arms and small fists. Nothing Roman couldn't handle, but it did make trying to carry the kid hard. "Let me go!" the kid screamed, now bringing his legs into action and kicking wildly. Roman had grabbed the kid around the waist, figuring he'd just carry him out, but as the kid flailed, he got one good shot right between Roman's legs and he found himself gasping and pitching forward, still holding the kid, back onto the bed.

" _Mommy!"_ The boy screamed as Roman struggled to breathe.

"Fire!" Roman said, gasping for breath and starting to smell smoke. "Fire, kid," he croaked, _"Your house is on fire!"_

The kid scrambled out from under him and smelled the smoke himself. "Mommy!" He screamed. "Lizzie!" He started running for the door.

Even though Roman felt like his testicles were in the middle of the worst of this blaze, he forced himself to get off the bed and run after the kid. "My friends are getting the rest of the family," he shouted as he grabbed the kid around the waist, praying like hell he wouldn't kick him in the balls again, because that just might kill him. "We have to _go!"_

The kid started to struggle, but it was weaker this time. Roman shifted the kid's position so he was laying in his arms like a baby. Roman didn't know if that was a good idea or not, but it allowed him to curl his arms around the kid's legs and it kept those legs far away from the family jewels. He ran out of the room with the boy.

The blaze had started to spread up the hall, which meant Roman had to make a quick choice, did he go back into the room with the kid, put him down, open a window and toss the kid out? Or did he make a break for it, risking the flame. The kid was still struggling, and that made the choice easier, if he put the kid down, he was likely to run to try to get to his mom and sister. Taking a big, smoke filled breath, Roman clutched the kid as tight as he could and ran.

The smoke was so thick that Roman might have run right into the blaze, but fortunately, the smoke wasn't quite as thick around the sliding door they'd used to enter. He took a sharp right, heading towards the door, noticing that whack to the privates had caused his feet and legs to feel as if they were burning too. Roman had played sports all his life and now he was a wrestler. He had taken more shots to the nuts than he cared to remember, but this was the first time this had happened. At this point though, he couldn't pause to ponder this situation, as he ran to the door, someone outside rushed in and grabbed him, pulling him outside. Startled, Roman dropped the kid who fell to the deck with a thud. Seth ran from the yard, grabbed the kid and headed away from the fire. Roman was going to do the same when Dean grabbed him and threw him off the deck, onto the grassy ground. Before he could react, Dean threw himself on Roman's legs and started rolling himself and Roman's body.

"Fire!" Dean shouted, his voice horse from the smoke. "Your fucking _legs_ were on _fire!"_

 _Well, that explains the burning sensation,_ Roman thought, and then all thought ceased as his lungs realized that he was breathing humid, tepid, but smoke free air and they started working much better now, coughing and choking. When Dean backed off, he rolled slowly into a sitting position, and looking out over the back yard, he saw a woman in a night gown, clutching two children to her, Seth close by.

And the sound of sirens could finally be heard, getting closer and closer.

* * *

 

They didn't make it to the next house show or even Raw and SmackDown the next two weeks, but they did make the news. An overly eager young photographer with a scanner heard about the fire and had followed the fire trucks. He took several pictures, most which would stay on his memory stick for a long time, never to go any further than a quick glance before they were erased. But one would make him famous and bring the three wrestlers into the mainstream, to the point where people who scoffed at the very idea of wrestling would recognize any one of them, instantly.

It was a picture of the three of them with the family they had saved, the six of them huddled close together. The mother and her son and daughter looked tired and lost, but they were fairly clean, all things considered. Roman, Dean and Seth however, had their arms around each other, holding each other up. Their faces were streaked with soot, their eyes red and tears flowing freely down their sooty faces. They looked like three men who had been through hell, but had emerged on the other side, and were now and forever changed by the experience, that they were close before and now they were even closer. The three never had a problem convincing people that they were brothers in and out of the ring, this picture made it look as if they had managed to find a relationship that transcended brotherhood.

None of them ever had the heart to tell people later that the tears streaming down their faces in the picture was the results of the smoke still hanging thickly in the air and nothing to do with the emotions they were feeling at the time. As Dean said to them once when they were discussing it, "All I cared about at that point was breathing. My lungs were not being very cooperative."

* * *

 

The very next afternoon, Stephanie walked into the small meeting room, pleased to see the three men she had requested to be there were. Stan, the head writer and man in charge of creative she knew had likely arrived first, but Hunter and her father could have played games with her, showing up late. Stephanie didn't like to admit it, but she got a thrill when she walked in last on a meeting she had called. It was always a rush to her to walk into the room and have every head turn to watch her, be it three heads or thirty.

On this occasion, she walked into the room holding several newspapers in her hands. She walked over to the conference table and slowly deliberately, put the papers on the table. "You've seen these?" It was said as a question, but truly, it was a statement. If they hadn't seen these papers they had watched the news, or checked their favorite news feeds on their cellphones. They all showed the same picture. The picture, the three former Shield members, minutes after they had saved the life of a family. And the headline above the picture was huge.

**WWE SUPERSTARS ARE HEROES!**

"Yes, we've seen them," Vince said, nodding. "They're the reason why three of our biggest stars are going to be absent for awhile too."

"Yeah, but odds are good people won't complain," Hunter remarked. "These three are real life heroes now."

"Exactly," Stephanie said, "They are real life heroes, and we need to move on this, quickly."

"Move on what?" Stan asked, a slight grin playing across his lips as he realized that this could lead to some pretty exciting stuff for him and his department.

"We need to get Shield back together," Stephanie said, looking triumphant. "But we need to do it, right."

_End of Prologue_


	2. July 4, 2016

There was a tradition among the wives and the children of Dean, Roman and Seth, a tradition formed over the past couple years. And that was that all six of them watched Raw and SmackDown together, whenever possible.

Of course it was impossible to watch it together in the same space, but thanks to modern technology, the internet in particular, they could all watch together from the comfort of their own, personal living rooms. Lap tops would be opened and they would hook up in a group video chat. While it wasn't exactly the same as being in the same space, it was pretty close.

When school was happening, or a special occasion, they would often record the shows and watch them the next night instead, Raw in particular, starting it before 8:00 so by the time it was finished, it wasn't too much past the kid's bedtimes. Normally, because it was the forth of July, they would have recorded this show and watched it later, but all three families had gotten phone calls from their husbands, asking them please to watch the show live. Besides, they all wanted to see Roman, Seth, and Dean make their first appearance on RAW since the fire. They had been with them right after it happened,  had flown out to be with them while they had recovered and while they went on a mini publicity tour. The fire had turned the three men from fairly well known celebrities into extremely well known celebrities, and even though they hadn't been ready to get in the ring for awhile, it seemed like every talk show and sports show wanted the three men. The wives and children had traveled with them until Saturday, when they had flown to their homes.

"What do you think is up?" Cinnamon asked, as she settled in. Both hers and Neil's laptops were on the coffee table, open, so they could see themselves and the other four people. Everyone was wearing a small, microphone and headset that only covered one ear, so they could chat freely, while still hearing the show.

"Mom, I'm trying to watch the pre-show," Neil protested, his eyes glued to the TV screen. "They might give us a hint about what's gonna happen on the show tonight!"

"I have no clue," Jessica said, looking over at Leah, who was also watching the RAW pre-show on the network sitting on the sofa next to her. "I just know Roman better not wrestle, or I'll fly to him and wring his neck." The doctor who had treated Roman's burns after the fire, told him he would not be able to wrestle until at least the 11th.

"I'm sure the Powers that Be aren't going to make Roman wrestle," Kayla said. She was sitting on her sofa as well, but Payton was laying on her stomach on the floor, lap top open in front of her, alternating her gaze from the computer screen to the TV. "Our three men are the hottest commodity the WWE has right now, they aren't going to risk Roman's health for anything."

That was true too. The family they had saved, Monica Miller and her children, Elizabeth and Gregory Jr. were very popular in their community. Monica was one of those women who was always volunteering in the community. She coached kid's athletic teams, ran bake sales or car washes. Gregory Sr. had been the same way, a very community minded young man. Gregory and Monica were childhood sweethearts who got married two days after they both graduated from High School. Gregory had been born two months later. They had been a young couple but they made it work. Gregory had joined the marines and done well in the military, until he'd been shipped over to Afghanistan two years ago, right after Elizabeth had been born. Then, last year he had been killed trying to get the rest of his unit out of a building that had been firebombed. Of course Roman, Dean, and Seth had not known this when they rescued the family, but that didn't matter. Not only had the three of them rescued a young family from a horrible death, but they rescued the family of a US Marine who died in service of their country.

"You're right," Jessica conceded. "I'm just being the overly worried wife."

The opening of Raw was a heartfelt tribute to the 4th of July, the birthday of the United States. They paid homage to the men and women who had laid down their lives over the years so we could all celebrate the 4th of July. Greg Miller Sr.'s contributions were mentioned, which lead into the regular show opening, where the Millers were brought into the ring as guests, and presented with a check for almost two hundred thousand dollars, funds raised for the rebuilding of their house. WWE had set up a fundraiser account on the web and had agreed to match donations dollar per dollar.

Stephanie and Hunter presented the check, but Roman, Dean and Seth were there, When Monica got the check, she burst into tears and promised that whatever wasn't needed to rebuilt their home would be donated to her favorite charity, the Wounded Warrior project. Hugs were exchanged and there was hardly a dry eye in the house.

"I am so proud of all of them," Cinnamon whispered, mostly to herself, although everyone heard her, as Dean hugged Monica and her two kids.

It was obvious that this was not part of the storyline, and when it was over and the Miller family were escorted to their ring side seats, the show broke for commercial. When they returned, it was obvious reality was over and the real show had begun.

There were two matches, a tag team match between the Usos and the Ascension, where the Usos won, then there was another match between the Bella twins and Naomi and Tamina and the Bella twins won.

* * *

After the second match, when they came back from commercial break there was a promo. It showed the backstage "office" set used in so many promos and Kevin Owens was there with Triple H and Stephanie. Kevin was considered to be the new "favorite" of the Authority. While he didn't have the US Champion anymore, it was rumored that he would be up for the IC title in the next PPV. But, at the start of the promo he wasn't looking happy. Rhyno was standing next to him, nodding. Kevin had Rhyno "brought up" from NXT, to act as Kevin's body guard, because he had been doing such a good job at annoying everyone backstage and had complained bitterly to Stephanie and Hunter that he felt he was in danger without having someone to protect him.

"I don't trust him," Kevin said as the promotion was opening.

"Why do you say that?" Stephanie asked. She was smiling at Kevin, the way a parent might smile at a favorite child, rather like she used to smile at Seth.

"Yes, Kevin, what are you concerned about?" Triple H asked. "What Seth did brought a lot of good publicity to the WWE. And the Authority too."

"Yeah, but doesn't it bother you that he was with them?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah," Rhyno agreed, "he was with _them!"_ This got Rhyno a look from all three Authority member.

"Rhyno, shut up," Kevin said, rolling his eyes.

"Yes, boss," the large man said, but he grinned, showing no hard feelings at all. Rhyno was really hard to offend, which was probably why he worked so well with Owens.

"Well, I admit we did wonder about that," Stephanie said, "That's why we asked him to come and talk to us."

In an amazing coincidence that can only happen on TV, there was a knock and then Seth walked up to the group, "You wanted to talk to me?" he asked.

"Ah, Seth," Stephanie said, smiling at him. Not as warmly as she smiled at Kevin, but it was still a smile. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course," Seth said, grinning, but looking from Stephanie to Hunter to Kevin as if he wasn't quite sure why he'd been summoned. "What's up?"

"Oh, we were just wondering where your loyalties lie," Kevin said, scowling at him.

"What?" Seth look at Kevin, frowning, then to Stephanie and Hunter. "What is he talking about?"

"Well," Stephanie said, still smiling one of her patented, 'you can't quite tell if I'm pleased or covering up that I'm peeved,' smiles. "Kevin had some concerns and Hunter and I agree that we should-" She paused, tipping her head to one side and looking steadily at Seth, "-discuss them and get your side of the story."

Seth swallowed and you could see his Adam's apple bob on his throat. "Sure," he said, with a low chuckle. "I-I'm an open book, what do you want to know?"

"Where your loyalties lie!" Rhyno said, parroting what Kevin had said only seconds before. Everyone looked at him, and Kevin shook his head in a mixture of annoyance and pity.

"Rhyno!" Kevin warned.

"Sorry, boss!" Rhyno chirped.

"Well, since he brought it up," Hunter said, "We _are_ wondering where your loyalties lie."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Seth asked, looking nervously from one person to the next.

"It means we're wondering why you were traveling with your old Shield buddies," Kevin said, giving Seth a contemptuous look.

"What?" Seth frowned. "I wasn't traveling with them!"

"Really?" Kevin laughed. "You expect us to buy that?"

"Kevin!" Hunter's voice held a warning in it, but he turned his attention to Seth. "You have to admit, it looks a little suspicious that you, Roman and Dean were together when you saved that family."

"Don't get us wrong, Seth," Stephanie interjected. "We could not be prouder of what you did, but you have to admit, it looks a little...odd that you were with Roman and Dean."

Seth chuckled, but there was a nervous edge to it as he shook his head. "Guys, you have it all wrong! I wasn't traveling with Dean and Roman, I was alone! We just happened to go the same diner. I stopped there first, and was eating when they showed up. We weren't together. When I saw the house was on fire, I ran to help, and they came with me. That was a good thing, because I couldn't have saved all three of them by myself," he paused and shook his head. "Do you guys really think I'd travel with Roman and Dean? That they'd want to travel with me? Need I remind you of what I did to them-" he motioned to Triple H, "what we did to them? The chair shots heard around the world! There's no way I'd travel with them, there's no way they'd travel with me!"

"Really?" Kevin snorted and so did Rhyno as if on cue. Then Kevin leaned over and picked up a newspaper from a table and slowly brought it up. It was one of the papers that ran the now famous picture of Seth, Roman, and Dean, holding each other up after the fire, the tears rolling down their faces. "You guys look pretty chummy in this."

"Yeah!" Rhyno agreed, "Pretty chummy!"

Seth swallowed again, but also laughed. "It was an emotional time! We'd just saved that family's lives! We were heroes!" He looked at Stephanie and Hunter. "I was just thrilled I was there, that I was able to take charge of saving those guys. Because I knew it would reflect well on me, on us, on the Authority."

Kevin snorted, followed a couple seconds later by Rhyno. Seth looked at both of them, his eyes narrowed. Kevin took a step towards Seth getting into his face. Seth glared at him, refusing to back down.

"Boys!" Stephanie came over and put her hand on each man's shoulder, gently forcing them to step back from each other. "We're the Authority _family_ , we shouldn't be fighting with each other."

"I don't want to fight!" Seth protested. " _He's_ the one who's accusing me of not knowing where my loyalties lie!"

"You're the one hanging with-" Kevin began.

"-Stop it!" Stephanie interrupted. "Both of you!" She pushed them apart a little less gently and looked at Kevin. "Seth says he wasn't traveling with them, and I believe him! He's been a loyal member of the Authority longer than you, Kevin."

"Yeah, but-" Kevin started.

"But nothing!" Now it was Hunter's turn to interrupt. "Kevin, why don't you go get prepared for your match against Randy Orton tonight?"

It was technically a suggestion, but in truth it was really a statement and Owen knew it. He glared again at Seth, then mumbled an agreement, turned, and stormed out of the room. For a moment, Rhyno looked around, confused. Then, the door opened and Kevin called in, "Rhyno!" Rhyno grinned, clearly glad to know what he was supposed to be doing and trotted out the door to join Kevin.

When they were gone, Seth looked at Stephanie and Hunter. "Do you believe him?" he asked, shaking his head. "How dare he question my loyalty!"

"He had a good point," Stephanie said. "That picture did look a little strange."

"Yeah, but you guys understand, right? You know that it's just a case of all of us happened to be at the same place at the same time, that's all." Seth looked from Stephanie to Hunter, as if he was trying to keep calm, but there were nerves showing through. He ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up.

"That does happen," Stephanie said. "And at this point, we believe you."

"At this _point?"_ Seth repeated.

"Well, if there's no evidence to be found that would indicate you had been traveling with Roman and Dean, then it shouldn't be a problem," Hunter said smoothly.

"So, thanks for stopping by and clearing that up," Stephanie said in a voice that clearly told Seth he was dismissed. When Seth left the room, both Hunter and Stephanie looked at the door, then the camera faded and they cut back to the announcers.

* * *

 

"I don't think they completely trust Seth," Micheal Cole remarked.

"You can't blame them!" JBL said. "Seth was consorting with the enemy!"

"Roman and Dean aren't exactly the enemy," Cole reminded him. "They're his fellow WWE employees."

"Yeah, right." JBL snorted. "Those two hooligans have been a thorn in the side of the Authority since Seth destroyed The Shield. They might all work for the same place, but they are the enemy, Cole."

"Well, they were friends once," Byron Saxton said his voice soft compared to the other two.

"Yeah? So were Romulus and Remus," JBL said in a contemptuous tone. "And we all know how well that worked out."

Just then, Dean's music was heard and Dean came out. As he walked towards the ramp, he paused to high five Greg Miller, grinning at the kid and his mother and sister.

"Speaking of brothers, Dean's in our next match," Cole remarked, as Dean climbed into the ring and moved his head, appearing to be cracking his neck. A minute or so later, Cesaro joined him.

As the two men stood in the ring, before the ring announcer could tell them that this was one fall or submission, Roman's music started up, which made everyone in the audience look around.

Roman wove his way through the crowd, amid great cheering. He nodded to Dean, but he went to the announcer's table and sat down next to Byron, picking up a headset.

"Well, it looks like Roman is going to be joining us," Micheal Cole said.

"Yes, I am," Roman said as he slipped on the headset. "Since I apparently the Authority doesn't think I rate a match tonight, I figured I might as well come and watch my brother take out Cesaro."

"Well, you know you're always welcome," Cole said.

"Speak for yourself," JBL muttered.

* * *

 

As the match began and Dean and Cesaro circled each other, Cole asked Roman what he thought about Kevin Owens and the Authority questioning Seth's loyalty.

"I think that's Seth's problem," Roman said evenly.

"But, was there any truth to the accusations?" Byron asked. " _Were_ the three of you traveling together?"

"No, we were _not_ traveling together," Roman said. "Dean and I appreciated Seth's help with the fire."

"Seth's help?" JBL sniffed. "I though Seth was the one who lead the rescue?"

"That's what Seth says," Roman said, looking into the ring where Dean had Cesaro in the ropes. "Dean's taking charge tonight!"

"He's got Cesaro on the defense right from the start," Cole remarked.

"Of course," Roman said, "That's Dean's way. Get them fast, take control."

"Excuse me," JBL said. "But I **did** ask you a question, Roman."

"Oh, forgive him if he was more interested in the match than chatting with you about Seth!" Cole remarked with a snort.

In the ring, Cesaro had managed to climb to the top rope, but Dean was right after him, climbing up to the second rope and grabbing Cesaro by the waistband of his trunks. Dean flipped the man over his shoulder and the two of them crashed to the floor.

The discussion about Seth stopped and the announcers started worrying more about the match. Roman cheered on Dean who ended up winning the match.

* * *

 

When the match was over, there was a quick backstage scene where Kevin and Rhyno were talking. The theme music was playing over it, and it was a short scene, but it looked as if Kevin was ordering Rhyno to do something. Rhyno, of course, was agreeing.

Seth had a match with Ryback. Before the match, they showed Seth backstage looking for J&J to accompany him to the ring, only to be told by Kane that Stephanie and Hunter had sent them on an errand. When Seth questioned this, asked why he now had to go to the ring alone, Kane's eyes rolled in a look of disgust.

"If you need help taking on Ryback, then you don't deserve to be in the Authority," Kane said.

"I-I can handle Ryback just fine," Seth protested.

"Then go do it," Kane said, in a tone that implied this was not a suggestion.

Seth went to the ring alone that night and was beaten by Ryback in a clean win.

* * *

 

After he lost the fight, Seth charged backstage angrily. When he got to his dressing room door, he twisted the door knob and flung open the door. There was a strange noise, not the noise of the door hitting a wall, but as if it was hitting something a little softer. There was another thudding noise that sounded like someone threw a bag of wet cement to the floor.

"Holy-" Seth began. The camera panned out and Rhyno was on the floor, a red welt on his forehead, his eyes closed. It was obvious what happened, Rhyno had been leaving Seth's dressing room just as Seth flung open the door. Seth had flung it open with such force that it slammed into the man's head and knocked him out cold.

Seth knelt down beside the man and nudge him, gently at first, then a little more enthusiastically. "Rhyno, Rhyno, buddy, wake up!"

When Rhyno didn't move, Seth got up and walked outside the dressing room. A young intern was walking by. "Hey!" Seth yelled to the intern, "Get a medic here _now!_ We have an emergency!"

The intern looked over Seth's shoulder into his dressing room and saw Rhyno passed out on the floor. "Right away, Mr. Rollins!" he said, his voice a nervous croak. "I'll right back!"

Of course this was followed by a commercial break. When they returned to Raw, Seth was standing in the hall with Kevin, Hunter and Stephanie as the medics were loading Rhyno on a gurney.

"Now what am I going to do?" Kevin said, sounding like a petulant, spoiled, child. "I have to face Randy Orton and I don't have my back up!"

"Is J&J back, yet?" Seth asked, "If they are, you can take them."

"They aren't back yet, but they should be any minute," Stephanie said, looking at her cell phone for the time. "You have to get ready. Go down to the ring and I'll send J&J to join you the moment they get back."

"What was Rhyno doing in my dressing room?" Seth asked.

"Probably just got lost," Hunter said, shaking his head. "He probably thought it was the mens room or something."

* * *

 

Kevin and Randy had been in a rivalry lately. Randy thought Kevin was a stupid punk who needed to be brought down a peg or two, Kevin though Randy was a washed up has been who should retire. A need to really kick Kevin's ass from one end of the arena to the other had been building up in Randy, but it had always been at least two against one, and Rhyno was really good at protecting Kevin.

So, when Kevin walked down to the ring that night, all alone, Randy began to grin.

The beating Randy put on Kevin that night was brutal. Kevin tried to escape, but Randy managed to thwart him at every turn. The bell to start the match barely rang and Randy grabbed Kevin and gave him an RKO. While Kevin lay on the floor of the ring, dazed, Randy hopped out, pulled a folding chair from the timekeeper area, climbed back into the ring and began beating Kevin with it. The referee motioned to the timekeeper to ring the bell, indicating the match was over, due to disqualification, but that didn't stop Randy. He beat on Kevin until the chair was just a twisted lump of metal.

The show ended with Randy standing over Kevin, gloating at his victory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, this story will be mostly ring action, because that's what the story is about. It's also way out of my comfort zone, but that's why I want to do it. Comfort zones are just that, comforting. Going out of them stretches my writing abilities. So, I really hope I can pull this one off and that my readers continue to enjoy it! Thank you to everyone who R/R F/F the first chapter, I was so grateful to all of you. And I'm sorry if this chapter isn't the greatest... I'm feeling my way around with this and to be honest? I think the next chapters will be better as I get used to writing ring action.


	3. Smackdown July 7, 2016

SmackDown was normally the throw away show, slightly more relevant than Main Event, but not much. Still, the kids loved it, so whenever possible, the three families watched it together too.

But this Thursday, Cinnamon, Jessica, and Kayla were as eager as the kids to watch. Their husbands, usually very open in telling them the story lines they were involved in, but this time all three men were being closed up about it.

"All Dean will say is that we'll love the resolution," Cinnamon said.

"That's pretty much what Roman is saying, too," Jessica remarked, taking a sip from her glass of wine.

"I have a feeling this will end in a reunion," Kayla said, "But it's got to be more than that."

"And what side would they'll be on if there is," Cinnamon murmured.

* * *

 

On SmackDown that night, Kevin was furious over the beating he'd received from Randy, which had story wise, left him unable to have a match that night. In an attempt to get back on Kevin's good side, Seth volunteered to "take Randy out" for Kevin.

"Are you saying that _you_ can take out Randy, but _I_ can't?" Kevin asked, glaring at Seth.

"No!" Seth said, shaking his head. "I'm not saying that at all. The only reason he got the better of you Monday was because he tricked you, he cheated. It wasn't fair and now you're hurt. Someone needs to show him he can't mess with the Authority. C'mon, Kevin, let me handle this for you, let me prove to you that I'm an Authority guy all the way."

Stephanie and Hunter were in the room and both of them nodded their approval. "I think that's a great idea," Stephanie said.

"I do too," Hunter agreed. "Stephanie and I can't be here tonight, we have business to take care of elsewhere, but I know it will be all under control."

"See? I knew we could find a way for the two of you to work together." Stephanie put a hand on Kevin and Seth's shoulder, smiling at both of them like a mother who just got her children to end a tiring disagreement.

"I'll let Randy know he has a match with Seth tonight," Kane said.

"See?" JBL remarked, when the cameras focused back on the ring. "The Authority always wins."

"Well, let's just see if Seth can win tonight against Randy," Cole said.

"Maybe they should have let Rhyno fight Randy," Saxton suggested, with an amused smile.

"Maybe," Cole said, "But Rhyno has a match tonight with Dean Ambrose."

"Yeah!" JBL exclaimed. "Let's see if the Lunatic can handle a Rhyno!"

* * *

 

Before the match between Seth and Randy, they showed Seth walking through the halls, looking around. After opening a few doors and peering into a few areas, he finally ran into Kevin, Jamie and Joey coming the other way. "Oh, great!" Seth called out, looking at J&J with an expression of relief. "There you are! C'mon I have to get ready for my fight with Randy."

"I-I'm sorry, Seth," Jamie said. "We-we've been ordered by Hunter and Stephanie to watch out for Kevin."

"But-but-you're _my_ guys!" Seth said, looking bewildered.

"Not anymore, I guess," Kevin said, smirking.

"I thought Rhyno was your security guy!" Seth complained. "Why do you need J&J?"

"Because Rhyno has to fight Dean tonight," Kevin said. "But don't worry about it. The three of us will accompany you to the ring."

"Really?" Seth's smile was one of pure relief.

"Sure!" Kevin patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll watch your back."

* * *

 

"Making his way to the ring now," Lilian Garcia announced. "From St. Louis Missouri, standing six feet five inches tall and weighing two-hundred and fifty pounds, it's Randy Orton!"

Randy made his way down the ramp and into the ring, looking confident. He walked around the ring, pandering to the audience, who cheered wildly for the Viper.

"He's looking good tonight," Byron said.

"I think he's looking forward to this fight with Seth," Cole remarked. "They have a lot of history between the two of them, most of it not very good."

"They were both part of the Authority for awhile," Saxton reminded everyone.

"Yeah, until Randy lost his mind," JBL remarked with a snort.

"I don't know if I'd say that," Cole disagreed.

"Well, I sure would," JBL said, along with giving another derisive snort. "Randy had it made with the Authority, but he turned his back on them."

On cue, Seth's music started and the cameras moved over to the top of the ramp, where Seth, Kevin and J&J Security came out together.

"And his opponent, being accompanied to the ring by Kevin Owens and J&J Security, from Davenport Iowa, standing six foot 1 inch tall, weighing two hundred and seventeen pounds, Seth Rollins!" Lilian cheerfully announced.

The four men got into the ring, and Kevin patted Seth on the shoulder. Anyone who could read lips would see he was saying, "Don't worry, we'll watch your back."

"See?" JLB said, watching Kevin. "The Authority is a _true_ family!"

As Kevin and J&J were climbing out of the ring, Kane's music came on. Everyone looked to the top of the ramp as Kane walked out from backstage. He stopped at the top of the ramp, microphone in hand. "As director of operations, at the request of the Authority, I am declaring this match to be a no DQ match!"

The audience cheered loudly. Randy looked at Seth, then around the ring where Kevin and J&J Security were gathered, each one taking a side.

Seth broke into a grin and laughed as Kane turned and left the stage.

Randy looked as if he might try to argue with the referee, but Charles Robinson shrugged, as if to say, "Hey, what can I do? Bosses orders." Then he signaled the Timekeeper to ring the bell and the match began.

It started out as a typical match, both men grappling, but soon enough, Randy figured he'd better strike fast before he was ganged up on. He jumped out of the ring on the side closest to the announcers, the only side without someone watching Seth. He reached under the ring, grabbing a Kendo stick. Joey and Jamie came around and stared at him, but didn't approach him. Seth jumped out of the ring to see what Randy was up to, and Randy smashed him in the chest with the Kendo stick.

Seth's eyes went wide, looking shocked that this had happened. Kevin Owens came around the ring, gathering close to Jamie and Joey. Seth grinned, thinking that soon they would join in and render Randy useless.

Instead, Randy quickly moved around and whacked Seth in the small of his back. Seth screamed and bent backwards, almost falling down.

Everyone waited for Kevin and J&J to get involved, but instead they just moved a little closer and walked around so they were behind Seth.

"What is going on here?" Cole asked, sounding confused.

"Don't ask me!" Byron said, shaking his head. "They said they had his back, but it looks like they changed their minds!"

"No," JBL said. "Kevin said they'd _watch_ Seth's back. And it seems like he's doing _exactly_ that!"

"You're kidding!" Cole said, as Randy hit Seth with the Kendo stick again. Seth looked bewildered and a little frightened as it started dawning on him that he was really alone in this match, that no one was going to come to his rescue.

"I wonder if Stephanie and Hunter knew this would happen?" Byron pondered.

"Or, if this is all Kevin's idea," Cole elaborated further.

"Who cares?" JBL said, his voice sounding gleeful. "Kevin is keeping his word. He said he'd watch Seth's back and I don't think he's taken his eyes off of it!"

It was obvious that this betrayal had taken Seth totally off guard and he never was able to recover from it. Randy realized quickly that Seth's "help" was no help at all and doubled his attack on Seth. He beat him with the Kendo stick until it splintered into pieces, then threw him into the ring. While Seth tried to catch his breath, Randy grabbed a chair and brought it into the ring. Seth was barely on his knees and Randy brought the chair down on his back again, sending Seth sprawling.

And Kevin Owens and J&J Security kept walking around the ring, indeed making sure they were always in a position to watch Seth's back.

At one point, Kane came to the top of the ring again, and people wondered if he would come down and try to rescue Seth, but all he did was watch.

"Seth must be feeling abandoned," Cole speculated. "He's totally alone out there."

"Serves him right," JBL said.

"What did he do?" Byron asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

"He put Kevin Owens in danger on Raw," JBL said, "And, he might have been consorting with the enemy."

"Seth said he wasn't traveling with Roman and Dean," Saxton reminded him. "He just said they all happened to show up at the same diner."

"Well, clearly Kevin has his doubts," was JBL's response.

It was a mercy when Randy finally pinned Seth. Seth had barely gotten a hit on Randy, he'd been dominated since the beginning. Randy likely could have pinned him several minutes earlier, but he just was enjoying beating on Seth too much.

When the match was over, a medical crew ran down and helped Seth to the back.

"Seth will be evaluated by our medical team," Micheal Cole announced, "and moved to a medical facility if necessary."

* * *

 

The main event was Dean vs. Rhyno. When they came back from a commercial break, Rhyno was already in the ring. Dean's music started and Dean came out, looking around eagerly, then ran to the ring.

While Lilian introduced the both of them, Dean and Rhyno were staring each other down, both looking ready and willing to fight. And barely had the bell rung when Rhyno attempted to gore Dean. Fortunately, Dean was prepared and ran backwards and then jumped out of the way at the last minute, causing Rhyno to run right into the ring post.

At the beginning, that seemed to be the battle. Rhyno seemed to be using the strategy of toss everything he could and hope some of it stuck. Dean was being clever and getting out of the way, and letting Rhyno damage himself.

"Wow, Rhyno is being like a bull tonight!" Byron exclaimed.

"No, he's being like a _Rhyno!"_ JBL disagreed, sounding annoyed, "isn't that obvious?"

"They both charge," Cole offered in Byron's defense.

"His name is _Rhyno_ ," JBL said, looking and sounding both annoyed and disgusted. "That means he's going to charge like a _Rhyno,_ not a bull!"

"Well, whatever he's charging like, he's being thwarted by Ambrose," Cole said.

Then, Rhyno decided to stop charging and instead went back to grappling. He gained the advantage and pummeled Dean into the corner, smashing him into one of the ring posts, over and over again, until Dean was hanging from the ropes, barely able to move. Rhyno turned and made his way to the diagonal corner, watching Dean who wasn't moving.

The crowd was mostly booing as Rhyno scraped one foot across the floor, looking indeed more like a bull for a moment than a Rhyno. Then, he lowered his head.

"This does not look good for Dean!" Cole exclaimed.

"Oh, it looks like Dean has one angry Rhyno after him," JBL gleefully exclaimed. As Rhyno started charging across the ring, JBL added, "Don't look up, Dean, you won't like the view!"

As Rhyno was almost on top of him, Dean did an amazing backwards hop to the second rope, then to the third rope, balancing on his feet, but squatting down to grab the ropes for extra security. The crowd went wild with cheering as Rhyno ran full force into the ring post, bouncing off of it, staggering backwards and falling flat on his back onto the floor of the ring. Dean held on to the ropes for dear life and while he swayed a bit, he did not fall.

"Wow!" Saxton said. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone do that trick Dean did with the ropes!"

"Me either," Cole agreed. "That was pretty amazing!"

"I've seen it," JBL said, sounding almost bored. "Lots of times."

Dean stood on the top ropes, looking around with a grin on his face. Rhyno lay on the mat, not moving, looking as if he was barely breathing. Mike Chioda, the referee started to head over, but before he could make it to check on Rhyno, J&J came running down the ramp. Dean appeared to have all his attention focused on Rhyno, and never seemed to notice as Jamie and Joey leaped on to the apron, then each grabbed a leg and pulled Dean so he slammed into the top rope on his upper thighs.

"What are J&J doing down here?" Cole asked.

"Looks like they're going after Dean," Byron remarked.

"I don't blame them!" JBL said. "Rhyno is Kevin's personal security guard. J&J has to watch out for him!"

Dean leaned forward, grabbing onto his legs, then rolling off the ropes, he hit the floor with a sickening thud, as J&J climbed into the ring and began beating on him.

"I don't believe this!" Cole proclaimed, "This is _terrible!_ What did Dean do to deserve this?"

"He's against the Authority," JBL said, "You can't disobey your bosses and expect to get away with it."

"But Kevin and J&J aren't his bosses," Saxton pointed out. "And neither is Rhyno."

"But they act with Stephanie and Hunter's best interests," JBL said.

In the ring it was like a shark frenzy, with Kevin, Joey, and Jamie all surrounding Dean, kicking at him. Kevin leaned over and grabbed Dean by the hair, hauling him up on his knees while Rhyno got back up and came over, kicking Dean in the stomach.

Dean looked at them, sneered and laughed as if to say this was nothing. Which, of course did not serve to quiet the group any, it only served to anger them further and they redoubled their efforts.

"This is wrong!" Cole shouted, "It's four against one, it's _wrong!"_

"If you're going to give a dance, you've got to pay the band," JBL retorted. "Dean's had his dance, now the band wants their fee."

"Where's security?" Saxton commented, " _Someone_ needs to break this up!"

Almost as if Saxton's words were a summoning spell, Roman Reign's music began to play. This stopped the four attacker for a moment, as they looked to the crowd as the spotlight went from entrance to entrance, trying to get the first glimpse of Roman heading through the audience.

Then, the crowd began to cheer as instead Roman came flying down the ramp, sliding into the ring as if he were greased up. He rolled to his feet and grabbed Joey in one arm, Jamie in the other, as if they were but errant children caught outside after the streetlights came on. With a roar, he tossed them over the ropes and onto the stadium floor. Then he advanced on Rhyno and Owens.

Rhyno and Owens looked at each other for a moment as if they were going to leave, and even started heading for the other side of the ring. As Roman knelt quickly by Dean, they stopped and turned.

"I guess they aren't going quietly after all!" Cole shouted.

Roman and Dean looked oblivious, as if they had no clue they were about to be attacked, then, just when Kevin and Rhyno were almost on top of them, thinking they had caught them unaware, the two of them sprang up and started attacking back, punching every part of them they could reach.

Having been caught off guard, Kevin decided he wasn't going to risk himself to this and ran as fast as he could out of the ring. For a moment, Dean and Roman stared at Rhyno, who looked ready to charge on Roman. Then, Rhyno realized he too, was alone. At the end of the ramp, Kevin was waving frantically, suggesting that Rhyno get out.

Dean and Roman grinned to each other then started towards Rhyno, who decided that running off with his tail between his legs was a much better idea than facing both Roman Reigns and a pissed off lunatic. He ran from the ring, joining Kevin and J&J who were staggering to their feet. The four of them hurried up the ramp while Roman and Dean leaned over the ropes and called insults to them.

* * *

 

Instead of ending on that note, as one would expect, the scene cut to Seth in back in the infirmary. Someone in medical scrubs was securing a bandage around his head as Seth sat on a padded bench, looking as if he might pass out any second. "The doctor is going to look at you again," the man in the scrubs said. "I think they're going to want to take you to a medical facility to make sure you're okay, Mr. Rollins."

"Yeah," Seth said, sounding exhausted and distracted.

When the camera pulled back, the audience could see that Seth was watching what had been happening in the ring on the TV. He saw as Roman and Dean, arms around each other, were calling insults after Kevin, Rhyno, and J&J, the two of them looking as if they could take on anything, as long as they had each other's backs.

End of Part Three

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Yes, I know JBL isn't on Smackdown, but I like the team of JBL, Cole and Saxton, so that's the permanent team in my world. Jerry only works on PPV's now.


	4. Raw,  July 11, 2016

_Before the show._

"Aw no!" Seth exclaimed as he looked at his cell phone. The black screen stared back at him, almost seeming to mock him.

Roman looked up from the bench he was sitting at, taping his left ankle. The three of them, Roman Seth and Dean were sharing a semi private dressing room, something they had been doing a lot more frequently, since returning from the fire. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"My phone died," Seth said, shaking his head and looking disgusted with himself. "I forgot to plug it in."

"Really?" Dean couldn't help but give a snort of laughter over this, Seth was normally the person who never forgot those types of things. Dean was usually the one standing by his phone going, "Charge you stupid phone, charge!" as if yelling at it would make it charge faster. "Having a bad day, Seth?"

"Yeah, yeah," Seth muttered, then sighed. "I haven't texted Payton yet, to let her know that it's all going to be fine and not to worry about the show." He shook his head and started going through his bag, looking for his charger. "I'll have to plug it in and text her after the show."

Dean frowned and then pulled his own cell phone out of his pocket. "Text her now," he said, holding out the phone. "You need to let her know you're going to be okay, that it's just a show. Yeah, she knows it, all the kids know it, but sometimes you have to cover your bases."

Seth looked at Dean, then took the phone from his outstretched hand. "Thanks."

"Any time," Dean said, grinning again. "It's nice to be the one helping you with this technology crap, rather than the other way around."

"Just make sure she knows you're using Dean's phone," Roman said, trying not to smile, but unable to keep his eyes from glittering in amusement. "Or she might think Uncle Dean is being a little weird."

Seth rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Yeah, I think I'll remember that."

* * *

 

_Raw_

The show opened with Stephanie, Hunter and most of the Authority coming down to the ring and while Seth was suspiciously absent from this gathering, nobody in the Authority brought it up, they merely acted as if Seth had ceased to exist.

After the usual boos from the audience and the usual making fun of the crowd, Stephanie announced that in this Sunday's PPV, Battlegrounds, that Roman and Dean would be in a tag team match between Kevin Owens and Rhyno. This news was received with wild enthusiasm, which rose to an almost building shaking crescendo when Hunter added that it would be a no DQ match.

When the opening was over and after a quick match took place, the Titantrons lit up with the usual backstage office scene. Stephanie and Hunter were talking with Kevin and Rhyno, the four of them hunched over a cell phone that Kevin was holding. Then, the camera panned out and Seth came over. "You, uh, wanted to see me?" he asked, clearing his throat and looking as if he wasn't quite sure he was happy to be there.

Kevin quickly moved the phone away, and stepped over a bit so Seth could get closer to Stephanie and Hunter.

"Thank you for coming," Hunter said, his voice smooth.

"Well, your my bosses, of course if you ask to see me, I'm going to be there," Seth said, following it with a rather nervous laugh.

"That's good," Stephanie said, wearing a smile that didn't quite match her eyes. "Because we still have some concerns."

"Oh?" Seth looked nervously from Stephanie to Hunter. "What are those?"

Hunter put his hand on Seth's shoulder, in what should have been a fatherly gesture, but there seemed to be something off about it. "We want to ask you again, were you traveling with Roman and Dean that night? Or was it really, as you said, just a coincidence that the three of you ended up at the same diner?"

"I told you we weren't traveling together," Seth said, but he didn't sound very confident, and he swallowed several times, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously in his throat. "Why is this coming up again?"

"Well, Kevin was on the internet," Stephanie said, that not-very-warm smile still plastered on her face. "And he found something very _interesting."_ She nodded to Kevin who had a triumphant look on his face. "Kevin?"

Kevin whipped out the cell phone. "If you were traveling alone, Seth, maybe you could explain what _this_ is?" The cameras focused in on the screen of the cell phone.

There was a picture of Seth, Dean and Roman sitting in the same booth in a diner. Half finished plates of food were in front of them. Seth and Roman had their head tossed back in laughter, and Dean was grinning, having obviously gotten off a good one. Anyone seeing the picture, even if they didn't know who these men were, would realize that these three people were relaxed, that they were close friends having a good time together. Not just the expressions, but the way they sat, close, to each other, body language telling everyone that these three were completely comfortable with each other.

"According to Instagram, a fan took this just before the three of you realize the house was on fire," Kevin said a triumphant note in his voice.

The camera panned out and the look on Seth's face was hard to read. Some might think it was fear, others might think it was shock, but whatever it was, it was not good. "Uh," he said, swallowing and making his Adam's apple dance again. "Uh, I can explain," he began tugging on the neck of his T-shirt.

"Well then, please do," Hunters said, a quirky grin on his face.

"Uh," Seth began clearly stalling for time.

"Yes, we're all _dying_ to hear what you have to say," Stephanie added, which made Rhyno snort in laughter and caused an amused smirk to appear on Kevin's face.

Seth bit his lip, looked at the ground for a moment, appearing to collect himself, then he lifted his head, taking a deep breath. "Okay, I'll come clean, I _was_ eating with them. But, it isn't what you think!" he added hastily at the end.

"Oh?" Hunter's head tipped ever so slightly, as if he was trying to get his ear closer to Seth to hear what he had to say, but that quirky grin never left his face. "Please enlighten us, then."

"I-I-I," Seth stammered, then pulled himself to his full height. "Okay, I didn't want to say anything, but the truth is that I overheard Dean and Roman talking backstage a couple times, and it sounded like they were planning some type of mutiny against the Authority. I-I thought that maybe if I made them believe we were still friends, they'd tell me what they had planned, so I could tell you guys." He looked from Stephanie to Hunter, pleading with his eyes for them to believe him.

Stephanie and Hunter looked at each other, puzzled looks being exchanged. "Well, did you find out if they do have something planned?" Stephanie finally asked.

"No, they're still keeping that close to their chests," Seth admitted. "That's why I didn't say anything the other night when Kevin confronted me. Because-because I was still hoping I might get them to tell me."

"I see," Hunter said, and you were really left wondering if he did see, or if he was amusing Seth, toying with him as he watched him bury himself. "Well, okay, I admire your loyalty to the Authority. Although I still say you should have come to us with these rumors rather than to take it upon yourself to try to find out what was going on."

"Yes," Stephanie agreed. "We're very experienced at stopping a coup d'état. I'm a little disappointed that you didn't feel you could trust us." In contrast, she dragged out the word little in such a way that it sounded quite the opposite of little.

"It wasn't that," Seth protested. "I just thought that I could find out what was going on so I could warn you. I figured the more I knew and the less other people knew the better." His gaze kept shifting from Hunter to Stephanie and it was obvious he would have found a cage full of hungry bears an pleasant alternative than this situation.

"Well, in the future, we'd like you to come to us before you decide to meet with people who are not known for wanting what's best for business." Hunter said, his voice smooth, professional, but cold, as if someone had sprayed the words with a fine coating of ice. "Because having these things-" he paused to indicate the phone Kevin was still holding. "-come out in public, is not good for business."

"I-I understand," Seth said.

"Good!" Stephanie's smile widened, but still fell just short of her eyes, which were fixed on Seth. "Now, Kevin is a little upset about all of this, and I understand. You did _lie_ to us and especially to him when he confronted you."

Seth's nostrils flared briefly and for a moment, his expression went back to arrogant, weasel like Seth. Hunter frowned at this, and Seth drew in a deep breath and turned to Kevin with a look that was clearly a pained imitation of humility. "I'm sorry, Kevin," he said, but you could hear his teeth were gritted. "I shouldn't have mislead you."

Kevin did not look impressed and instead of accepting the apology, he shrugged and looked at Hunter and Stephanie as if Seth wasn't even worthy of his gaze. Meanwhile, Rhyno appeared to have gotten bored and was messing with his fingers, looking as if he were playing "Here's the Church and Here's the Steeple" with himself.

"Well, an apology is nice," Stephanie said. "But I think the two of you have some issues to work out. So tonight, for our main event, the two of you are going to have a match."

On that, even Rhyno stopped with "see all the people" and looked up. Kevin smirked and Seth gulped again, then straightened his shoulders. "Okay, that should be good," Seth forced himself to say.

But he didn't look nearly as confident as his words indicated he should.

The crowd cheered wildly as the camera panned away from the Titantron and focused back on the ring.

* * *

 

Roman had a match with Kane that night, which he technically won due to interference from Big Show, who pulled him from the ring and slammed him into the announcer's table. Then, when Roman was trying to recover, stumbling around looking dazed, Kane grabbed him and slammed him into the metal stairs. As Roman staggered to try to get away from Kane, Big Show came around the corner, grabbed him by his shirt, and threw him into the barrier. Roman flopped over, looking wiped out.

Both Kane and Big Show advanced on him, but just as they were about to grab him, Dean popped up from where he was, ducked under and behind the barricade, grabbed Roman and pulled him over. Putting his arm around his friend, he helped him and the two of them ran through the crowd and off stage.

"Do you _believe_ that?" JBL said, sounding disgusted. "Who gave that lunatic permission to get involved?"

"Who gave Big Show the right to get involved?" Cole questioned right back.

"I'm sure Stephanie and Hunter did," JBL shot back.

"Does that make it right?" Saxton questioned.

"Of course it does!" JBL said with a derisive snort. "They're the bosses. They can do whatever they want."

* * *

 

The excitement for the Main Event was almost palpable, mostly because it was so unusual. Yes, Seth and Kevin were having problems, but a match between two members of the Authority was something that just wasn't seen on TV, and people were excited, already thinking of how they would talk about this the next day at school or by the water cooler. "Yeah! Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens! Both of the Authority's Golden Boys, although it sure seems like Seth is slipping from that role quickly!"

Seth entered the ring first, with a loud pop. Authority he might still be, but people also remembered he was one of three men who, outside of the ring, had rushed into a burning house to save a family. It was hard not to be behind him. And the earlier confrontation with the Authority had gotten him sympathy for his obvious discomfort. Seth, for his part, did not look very confident as he came down the ramp. He didn't look at the crowd, just at the ring ahead of him, and when he climbed in, he just stood there. It was such a contrast from the overly confident Seth everyone was used to, that the crowd knew instantly he was the one they should cheer for.

"Seth looks pretty nervous," Cole remarked. "I think he's worried about facing Kevin Owens."

"He should have thought of that before he lied to Kevin and Stephanie and Hunter," JBL retorted.

"Well, he claims he was trying to find out if Roman and Dean were really planning a takeover," Saxton pointed out.

"He can claim anything he wants," JBL said, "that doesn't make it the truth."

When Kevin Owen's music started, he came out and stood at the top of the ramp for a moment, while Rhyno, and J&J came out too. All four men stayed at the top of the ramp for a bit, Rhyno looking at Kevin as if waiting for permission to start walking. J&J, to their credit, looked a bit sheepish, as if they weren't sure they felt comfortable not being with Seth. Kevin looked around, sneering first at the crowd, then at Seth. He didn't as much walk to the ring as he strolled to it, looking as if he had all the time in the world, accepting the boos and jeers with a bored smirk as if they were fitting tributes to him.

The four men entered the ring together. Kevin walked around confidently, glancing at Seth every once in awhile, as if Seth was nothing more than a trained seal, brought to the ring for Kevin's amusement.

The match started with Seth being the aggressor, flying at Kevin, obviously taking the attitude that he needed to strike fast and hopefully end this quickly. Kevin seemed taken off guard by this and found himself backed in a corner as Seth hammered on him.

Kevin seemed dazed as Seth began using the top ropes to his advantage, going back to some of the high flying moves he was known for back in the days of The Shield. The crowd cheered wildly.

J&J were standing by the announcer's table with Rhyno, who was frowning as he saw Kevin being pummeled, as if he wasn't quite sure this should be happening. Joey looked at him a few times, expectantly, as if waiting for Rhyno to give them orders, but Rhyno couldn't quite remember what they were.

"It looks like the team of J&J have a new boss!" JBL exclaimed as if this were wonderful news. "Now it's R&J&J!"

"I wonder why Rhyno would be in charge," Saxton pondered.

"Because he's tough and loyal!" JBL shot back. "And he's smart, too!"

"Well, he certainly is tough," Cole said.

"Smart too," JBL insisted, as the camera panned to Rhyno who grinned for a moment as Seth got off a kick on Kevin, then frowned as if realizing that he wasn't supposed to be happy for Seth. "He knows whose side he needs to be on! That's why Kevin brought him up from NXT."

"From what I hear, Rhyno was the only guy in NXT who could stand being around Owens," Cole said. "Everyone else there thinks he's bad news."

"Everyone else there thinks he's bad news," JBL repeated Cole's words in a whiny tone, meant to be an unflattering imitation. "They're just jealous because Kevin Owens knows what's best for him. Owens is smart enough to get in with the right people, unlike idiots like Neville. If you want to go anywhere in this company, you join forces with the Authority. Rhyno knew that!"

"Sure he did," Cole said, a clearly sarcastic edge to his voice, "Rhyno is-"

The world would never know how Cole intended to define Rhyno at that moment, because Seth had given Owens a flying kick that sent him crashing into the ropes in front of the announcer's table.

_"Superkick!"_ Cole exclaimed, sounding positively delighted as if Seth might have given him an unexpected present.

Kevin turned, shaking his head several times as if to clear it. His gaze focused on Rhyno and J&J and he screamed at them, loud enough so the announcer's microphones picked up what he was saying, "Are you idiots just going to _stand_ there? _Do_ something!"

The cameras moved to show Rhyno, whose eyes went wide for a moment, then it was as if a light went off in his head and he remembered why he was there. He motioned to J&J and the three men ran to the ring, getting on all three sides. Kevin Owens slid out of the ring.

"Good idea!" JBL said firmly. "Take a moment and regroup!"

Seth was looking around nervously as he realized he was surrounded. Slowly and deliberately, Jamie, Joey, and Rhyno climbed up to the apron and stared at him.

Seth looked from man to man, swallowing as if he was realizing he was in serious trouble. He hesitated, clearly wondering how he could get out of this situation. The referee was waving his arms at Rhyno, who made a motion as if he were swatting him away, even though the ref was way beyond touching distance.

Seth looked at Jamie and Joey, and smiled nervously, as if to say, "We're friends, right?"

Jamie and Joey climbed through the ropes, followed by Rhyno, then Kevin Owens, who had recovered and joined the other three. Seth looked around, panic written on his face as slowly, the four men closed in on him. When they were close, Seth swallowed and laughed nervously, clearly hoping against hope that this was a joke.

That's when Kevin kicked him in the stomach, with what seemed to be enough force to send Seth flying into Mercury. Seth never even had a chance to double over, as Mercury wrapped an arm around his neck and drove his knee into Seth's back.

Seth's scream of pain could be heard outside of the ring.

As if his cry was a signal, Mercury pushed Seth to the ground and all three men started kicking him, as if Seth were a particularly nasty and abnormally large sized bug who had wandered in uninvited and now needed to be killed.

"Oh _no!"_ Cole cried. "What are they _doing?"_

"Looks like Seth was caught dining with the enemy!" JBL exclaimed, sounding as if he'd been given a very special treat. "And now it's time for a little just deserts!"

"Yeah, but this is brutal!" Cole argued.

"Humble pie _never_ goes down easy!" JBL said, his voice still cheerful as if now JBL was the one who had been given the unexpected gift. "Seth should have known better!"

The referee motioned for the bell to be rung, but no one expected it to stop the four men from beating on Seth, and indeed it didn't.

The audience was booing and screaming so loudly, watching the action, that most of them missed Kane coming down the ramp, slowly and deliberately, no music to mark his entrance.

Kane was almost to the ring when Owens and company noticed him. They paused in the beating to look at him, nervous expressions on their faces.

"If I were Seth, I'd get out of there while he can," Saxton remarked.

But it was clear, Seth wasn't going anywhere. He lay on the floor of the ring, curled up as if he were a child who had just seen for real, the monster from his worst nightmares.

Kane stopped at the edge of the ring and slowly shook his head as if in disapproval. Owens and J&J looked a bit worried and guilty. Rhyno was grinning and raised his hand to wave to Kane, but stopped when Kevin kicked him quickly in the leg. Then he looked at his leg, then Kevin and frowned, trying to put together what had happened.

Kane was holding a microphone, and he brought it to his mouth. "Boys, boys," he said, shaking his head. "If I've told you once, I've told you a million times, if you're going to do this, do it _right!"_ And with that, he reached under the ring and drew out three folding chairs… and a sledge hammer. He slid them into the ring. Then, he walked over to the announcer's area, and took a seat, near the timekeeper's area, and leaned back in the office chair, looking as if he was about to watch a favorite movie.

Jamie grabbed the chairs and the sledge hammer and brought them over to the group. Slowly, he handed Joey, then Rhyno a chair. Then, with a ceremonial deliberateness, he handed Kevin the sledgehammer and kept the third chair for himself.

J&J and Rhyno began using the folding chairs to reign blows on Seth. Kevin though, hefted the sledge hammer as if judging the weight and the feel, but stayed out of the fray.

" _No!"_ Cole shouted. "This is _wrong!_ They're going to kill Seth! Why isn't security out here?"

"Because security works for Stephanie and Hunter," JBL reminded him.

After several seconds of pounding Seth with the chairs, Joey, Jamie and Rhyno stopped. As if on cue, they turned to look at Owens, who walked over to them, while Seth lay on the floor, still curled up, occasionally twitching, to show he was still alive.

"No, _no!"_ Cole shouted, shaking his head as Kevin advanced over to Seth. " _No!_ This is so _wrong!"_

With a cruel smile, Kevin raised the sledge hammer above his head, looking to deliver not just a blow, but a killing blow. The cameras all stayed on him and the audience was almost silent. Then, a small cheer broke out from the audience by the ramp, a cheer that quickly got louder. The cheer seemed to throw Kevin off his stride and he looked up to see what was going on.

Roman and Dean were running down the ramp as fast as they could, ducking and sliding into the ring and the crowd rose to their feet, stomping and cheering.

There presence caused enough confusion that J&J, Rhyno, and Kevin stood there in stunned bewilderment, which gave Dean and Roman a slight advantage. Roman grabbed the sledgehammer from Kevin, and holding it cross ways, slammed it into Kevin's throat. Dean grabbed the folding chair that Rhyno had dropped, and slammed the head rest into Rhyno's stomach and as Rhyno doubled over, he started beating him on the back with it.

Joey and Jamie stood, still dumbstruck as Roman and Dean attacked Rhyno and Kevin. Then, something seemed to click and they moved to help. At that moment, as if a miracle had happened, Seth rolled to his feet and grabbed the two of them and tossed them over the ropes, then fell to the floor again, as if he had used the last bit of strength he owned.

Owens and Rhyno were on the floor, dazed. Roman and Dean looked at each other, nodded, then threw aside the chair and the sledgehammer. They ran over to Seth and helped him to his feet. Seth moved his head as if trying to shake off the beating.

The three men hurried from the ring. Roman and Dean got on either side of Seth, putting an arm around him and the three of them ran from the ring together.

It had been a loud crowd that night, but the ending was more than deafening as the three former Shield members ran back stage.

_End of Part Four._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I hope I'm getting the hang of this ring action stuff. I was actually pleased with this chapter, but I'm still pretty hesitant about the whole thing, so yeah, I hope I pulled it off.


	5. Interlude 7-11-16

  
Interlude 

July 12, 2016 3:25 AM

 

_They were in the hall and while the fire hadn't gotten this far yet, the smoke had. It was making Seth feel dizzy and hazy and it was making his body want to shut down. He wanted to fall on the floor, he wanted to leave, but most of all his brain just wanted to shut down and stop working._ This is too hard! _he thought,_ I can't do it!

_There were four doors, three shut one semi open. Dean looked into the open door. "It's the bathroom, guys!" he shouted. "I'll take the door at the end of the hall, you guys take the other two!"_

_Roman ran to the door closest to him. Seth ran to the other one, the one closer to the door Dean was going into. He opened it up and rushed inside._

_The shades were open, so the moonlight and maybe even some of the glow from the fire flooded the tiny room. There was a crib and Seth was horrified._ A baby! _his mind screamed,_ a baby, a baby, oh crap, it's just a baby! _He tried to hurry over to the crib, but suddenly the floor turned into something like tar, something thick and heavy that slowed down his every move, making every inch he walked seem to take forever. But he finally got there. He reached into the crib, realizing that this wasn't quite a baby, but not yet a true child. A toddler. Impossible to know if this toddler were male or female, it was too dark. But he scooped them up, thinking that it would be no more effort than picking up a pillow. But instead, this child appeared to be made of lead, no something heavier than lead, something that weighed him down. But he forced himself to gather the child up and they woke up and began screaming. Seth wanted to sooth this toddler,, wanted to comfort them, but he knew that with the tar like goo on the floor, he didn't have time. So he held the child as close to him as he could and ran to the door. He had at least been smart enough to shut it, keep some of the smoke out, but as he grabbed the knob, it was burning hot, he could feel the blisters starting to form, but he knew he had to get it open, so he twisted the knob and balancing the screaming child with one arm around them, resting their body on his shoulder, he kicked the door open._

_Orange flame rushed in the door, so bright and hot that Seth literally felt his skin melting from his bones. Unable to think, he found himself letting go of the toddler, who he somehow knew, without knowing, was a little girl, and to his horror, he didn't just drop her, he threw her into the fire, and he saw her burst into flames, her hair and nightgown go up as if it were soaked in kerosene. He wanted to scream, but it was stuck in his throat and he realized that his skin was still melting. He turned to run back into the room and realized the whole room had somehow become nothing but a giant room of fire._

I'm going to die! _Seth thought, as the flames danced around him, getting closer, spreading to his body, starting at his feet and moving up his legs._ I failed at everything. I couldn't save the girl, now Kayla will be a widow and Payton will lose another father. I failed, I failed, I failed!

Seth woke up with a start. He was wrapped up in his sheets and for a moment, he thought it was the fire wrapped around his legs and he almost screamed as he grabbed for them, trying to pull them off of him, falling into a panic. Handfuls of cool-

_Cool!_ his brain screamed. _They're cool! it isn't fire, it's cloth, you had a bad dream!_

He reached beside him and fumbled for the light by the bed, and twisted the knob in his fingers. A dim yellow light weakly fell across the room, that instead of bringing comfort, the light reminded him of the fire. He found himself almost leaping out of bed, afraid to be in it anymore.

His heart was pounding in his chest, making him feel as if he'd swallowed an angry lizard that kept thrashing his tail from side to side, crashing against his rib cage. His breath came in ragged gasps and there were tears running down his face, but he didn't know if they were because of the imagined death of Elizabeth at his hands, or the imaginary smoke of his dreams.

He couldn't stay in this room, not now, not with the yellow too-much-like-flame glow, not with his breath hitching in his chest, not with the dream still so close in his head that part of him was afraid this might be the dream, his brain's last attempt to hide the horror of what was happening to him, that he was burning alive instead, dying a painful death and all that was happening, the two weeks of good will touring the last week of Raw, SmackDown, and the house shows, it was all a fantastic lie his brain had fed him to distract him from his own death.

He found himself fumbling into some clothes, a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. He grabbed the key card that was on the dresser and left the room, stumbled out of there and into the hall way.

The hallway was much brighter, but still dimmed to the "night time" lighting, the carpeted floors soft under his bare feet. The gold and white damask wall paper was understated, designed to sooth and comfort the eyes. Seth found himself leaning against the wall, then sliding down so he was sitting on the floor, head hung low between his knees.

_C'mon,_ he told himself, _you have to stop this! It's over, the kid is alive, the fire isn't real, it's a stupid memory! Roman and Dean don't seem to be having this problem, hell, the Millers don't seem to be having this problem, so what is wrong with you? Why are you such a wuss?_ Well, he couldn't be completely sure about the Miller family, while he Roman and Dean kept in touch with them, and had gotten fairly friendly with them, they were not friendly enough so that Seth felt he could ask them if they had nightmares, no, night terrors about that night, terrorizing dreams where the ending was never like the reality, instead it was a worst case scenario. He was never able to save Elizabeth, never able to save himself.

_I'm pathetic,_ he told himself. _It's like my mind is telling me I shouldn't have been able to do it, that I'm no hero and it's showing me in my dreams what should have happened. Like it was some miracle, some case of divine intervention that I was able to save that little girl_.

He could hear the elevator door ding open at the end of the hall, and hung his head lower. Part of him knew he should stand up, go to his door and mess with the lock a bit. This floor was pretty much nothing but WWE Superstars and Divas, so it was likely whoever had just gotten off the elevator was someone he knew and he didn't want to talk to right now, not even a passing nod and hello. If he messed with the door, whoever this was might just think he had been out partying and was a little drunk and do nothing more than say, "hey," and keep going.

But the energy to stand just wasn't in him. He heard the person grunt to the security guards who stood by the doors of the elevator, but no words were exchanged. Seth closed his eyes, as if refusing to look would make the person disappear. _Don't see me,_ he begged in silent prayer. _I don't know who you are, but don't see me. I don't want you or anyone else to see me like this._

He could hear the muffled steps coming down the hall. _Be drunk,_ he mentally commanded. _Whoever you are, be drunk as shit and don't notice me._

The steps got closer and closer, and for a moment, Seth was sure he had managed to do it, make himself invisible and the person was walking by him, going to their room. He almost breathed a sigh of relief, then he heard the soft thud of someone else leaning against the same wall he had, heard the muffled sound of cloth sliding along thick, expensive wallpaper. He could feel the air move around him as it was suddenly taken up by someone who had decided to sit next to him. "Hey."

Dean. Of _course_ it was Dean. It _had_ to be Dean. The last person in the world Seth wanted to see, so of course it was Dean. There was no deity up there, willing to cut Seth some slack, not Seth Rollins. Not the man who was obviously meant to fail at the mission of saving a toddler's life. Seth felt like a trapped animal. If he ignored Dean, pretended that maybe he'd fallen asleep, Dean would feel obligated to wake him up and get him back into his room. If he ignored Dean by not talking to him, Dean would pester him until he got an answer, because Dean would be worried about him. _Can't you be an asshole?_ he found himself silently asking Dean. _Can't you be an asshole who doesn't give a crap? Of course not, because an asshole who didn't give a crap would not rush in to save that family. And let's face it, Deanie, old buddy, old pal, the only hero in this whole thing was you. I was willing to wait for the fire department, but you insisted we go in there. Roman was hesitating too, but then Roman's damned legs caught on fire so he managed to pull it off. Me? I just followed orders. I did what you guys asked me, but I didn't want to. I was too friggin' scared_.

But he knew he had to do something, say something, or Dean would start to take action. That was the problem with heroes. They _always_ took action. "Hey," Seth finally managed to whisper, hoping his voice sounded normal, but knowing what it must have looked like to Dean, him huddled in the hallway, arms around his knees, head low, body shaking. Even if his voice was perfectly normal, it wouldn't take anyone more than two seconds to realize that Seth was not a very happy man right now. He cringed, waiting for the, "are you okay?" that would come from Dean.

"I like the carpet in this hotel," Dean said. "They use a really good padding underneath it, so when I walk on it, it feels like I'm wearing new insoles in my shoes. It bounces back and I like that. But the wallpaper? Man, it looks like wallpaper you expect to see in a funeral home."

Seth blinked and before he even realized it, he had pulled his head up and turned it to look at Dean. He was holding two bottles of Pepsi, one of which he handed to Seth, who took it slowly, staring at him.

"They've got this whole little room, well, more of an alcove with vending machines," Dean continued. "And they sell _everything_. Not just sodas and junk food. They've got one that sells fruit, Apples, oranges, things like that. And yogurt." He chuckled softly. "Big businessman has no excuse now for eating junk food. It doesn't matter how late the meeting goes, he can still get a healthy snack. They even had celery and apples with peanut butter dip." He reached into his pocket and pulled out two packages of the items he was speaking of. He handed one to Seth, who took it slowly, as if Dean might be offering him a dead kitten.

"Thanks?" Seth mumbled, the first words he had been able to say since his weak "hey" moments earlier.

"They don't just sell food either," Dean continued, "They've got a machine that sells toothpaste, toothbrushes, razors and that type of stuff, too. And socks! Do you believe it, a vending machine that sells socks?"

Dean pulled a package containing a pair of black socks and Seth half expected Dean would hand them to him, but he merely held them up for Seth's inspection. "I bought these for Neil. Just so I can say, 'these are socks, I got them from a vending machine.' He'll get a kick out of that. I took a picture of the machine and sent it too him too, just to prove it." He chuckled again. "I'm father of the year, right? I travel all over the world, all sorts of exciting places, and what do I bring my kid? Socks I bought him in a vending machine." He put the package back in his pocket, and cracked open his soda, taking a long swallow. Then, he carefully busied himself with opening up his package of apple and celery slices, opening the tiny container of Jiff peanut butter. With an almost thoughtful deliberation, he selected an apple slice, dipped it into the peanut butter, and put it in his mouth.

"Not bad," he mused, chewing thoughtfully, then swallowing. "These are the kind of snacks Cinnamon makes for Neil when he's complaining that he's hungry, but it's a little too close to meal time for sweets, like cookies. Of course, she had a food processor and makes small batches of peanut butter, It's pretty awesome, but this Jiff isn't so bad. Don't tell her I said that though."

_Cinnamon makes her own peanut butter?_ Seth found himself thinking, I _wonder if it's hard? I'll bet it's healthier than the store bought peanut butter. Maybe I should ask Kayla about that, if we could make peanut butter for Payton._ Then, another shiver went through him, reminding him of his nightmare, reminding him of why he was in this hall instead of getting the few hours of sleep he'd be allowed before another day of being a WWE Superstar. "Why are we talking about peanut butter and vending machines?" he finally asked.

"We aren't _really_ talking about them," Dean said, selecting a celery stick and scooping it through the peanut butter. "I was telling you about them. You didn't really have much to say, which is okay. I mean, it's vending machines. And even though they're vending machines that sell some interesting stuff, like socks, it's still just a vending machine. On the Highway, they have ones that sell IPads and tablets."

"Okay," Seth said slowly. "Why are you _telling_ me about vending machines?"

"Because that seemed better than asking you how bad the nightmares are," Dean said simply, then bit into his peanut butter covered celery stick with a resounding crunch.

Seth stared at him, his first reaction to deny he was having nightmares, but realizing that would be stupid. Dean knew he didn't drink to excess on the road, so what other reason would he have for sitting in the hallway? If it was just insomnia, he'd have stayed in his room and watched terrible TV or read a book. Although maybe, just maybe, he wasn't the only one having a problem. "Do you have nightmares?" he finally said, ashamed at how shaky his voice sounded.

"Sometimes," Dean admitted. "But not over the fire, like you're having."

Seth's stare didn't stop, only got more intense. Dean's a mind reader, his brain first told him, then followed it up with, No, don't be silly. But, "how did you know I was having nightmares about the fire?" Seth found himself asking out loud.

"I didn't," Dean admitted cheerfully, selecting another apple slice to dip into peanut butter. "I took a guess. And, I was right." He put down the container of peanut butter and instead took a sip of his Pepsi, then put it down next to him. "Of course," he added, "It wasn't hard to put it together. We went through this inferno, and now you're having bad dreams. You don't have to be telepathic to figure that one out."

_Okay, score one for Dean,_ Seth guessed that would be pretty easy to figure out. "They won't stop, Dean," he found himself whispering. "Almost every night for the last week, I get them. Over and over again, the same thing. It starts with us in the hall, you're telling us that one door is the bathroom, but that you'll take the door at the end of the hall. Then we head to the rooms. That part is always the same and it's just like it happened."

"Uh-huh," Dean said, nodding as he picked up his peanut butter dip cup and ate the apple slice he'd been swirling in the peanut butter moments before. "Let me guess, after that the dream varies?"

"Yeah," Seth said, hearing the shaking coming back to his voice and hating it. "But it's _never_ good, it's _never_ what happened. It's always bad and terrible. Like tonight, I ended up throwing Elizabeth into the fire, because when I opened the door, the hallway was burning, the fire was raging and it was like this automatic reaction, push the kid away. It's like I hurled her into that fire and I watched her burn. Then I burned, I could feel the skin melting from my bones, even the muscles melting." He looked away from Dean, putting down the soda and the snack and resting his head on his knees."

"Take a few deep breaths," Dean suggested, his mouth full of apple and peanut butter. When Seth did this, Dean nodded his approval. "Take a sip of the Pepsi too, it's got sugar in it and that can help with the shock."

"R-really?" Seth asked, not looking, but feeling for the bottle with his hands. When he found it, he cracked it open and took a large swallow.

"Sure," Dean said confidently, scooping out the last of the peanut butter with the last celery stick in the package. "That's why people love to give you tea when something bad has happened and you're in shock. Tea with lots of honey or sugar in it, because sugar helps the shock. Something about being in shock pushes sugar through your system, or something like that. Either way, the soda is cold, and it sure can't hurt, can it?" His lecture about shock finished, he popped the peanut butter laden celery stick into his mouth, the entire thing, and crunched it down.

When Dean exhaled, Seth could smell peanut butter coming from his breath and it didn't make his stomach want to partake in his own snack, so he silently handed it back to Dean, who accepted it, no questions asked and started opening it. The soda, however, while a little too sweet, wasn't bad so he found himself taking another sip.

"That fire was a pretty traumatic experience," Dean said, as he started busying himself with the other snack, opening up the tiny container of peanut butter, peeling off the foil top and then licking it to get the bits of peanut butter stuck to it. "I'm glad you're getting over it."

Seth was about to take another sip of Pepsi, but his hand froze with the bottle almost to his lips. " _Over_ it?" he said, then repeated it, " _Over_ it? Dean, I'm having these dreams almost every night. And they never end with the real life happy ending, they always end with that little girl dying, and usually with me about to die too!"

"Yep," Dean said, nodding as he started eating this second snack, enjoying it as much as the first. "You're doing great."

"How is that _great?"_ Seth found his voice raising and he put the bottle of Pepsi back on the floor. "Dean, these nightmares are _awful!_ I _never_ save the girl _never_ get outside. How can you sit there and tell me that I'm getting _over_ it, because from where I stand, I'm not getting _over_ it, _I'm knee deep in the shit of it and I don't know how to get out of it!_ It's like my brain is telling me that the girl should have died, that if it were up to me, she _would_ have died!"

"Yep, it sounds like it is," Dean said, through a mouthful of apples and peanut butter. He chewed a few times, then swallowed and took another sip of Pepsi before speaking. "Seth, what we went through, that fire? It was a horrible thing. Yeah, we did it, we're heroes, everyone loves us. And, if I had to do it all over again, I would, and so would you. But the facts are still that we risked our lives. We could have died just as easily as we saved that family. And your brain _knows_ that. Knows that you risked your own life to save Elizabeth. And your brain is angry. See, your brain and body? They have one function, to make you survive. It tells you what risks you can take and what to avoid. And when it comes to a burning building? It does _not_ want you to go there, no how, no way. But you did it anyway. And you got hurt. Not as bad as Roman, but all three of us had lung damage. All three of us were coughing for days it seemed and our lungs didn't seem to want to get the hang of breathing normally. And the entire time we were in that fire? Our bodies were pissed off at us, furious at us, for risking ourselves. Our bodies wanted us to let that family burn, as long as we saved ourselves. And our brains were in total agreement."

Seth frowned. "Okay, I get that," And he did, kind-of. Mother nature did give all her creations a self preservation instinct that needed to be overridden in situations like this, "But again, it's over, it's done. It was awful, but it wasn't the most horrible thing, right?"

"Maybe it was for you," Dean said.

"Great," Seth snorted, unable to stop himself. "So, I'm the wuss."

"Well, yeah, I could have told you that," Dean said. When Seth glared at him, looking as if he wasn't sure if he should laugh or cry, Dean laughed instead. "Aw, c'mon, dude, I'm joking. You're not a wuss. But look at the circumstances. I was going to go in there no matter what, I had completely convinced myself that I had no choice. Roman was going to wait and see what we thought was best. You, on the other hand, brought up the one sound and unselfish argument against it. You brought up that we all had families and kids and that if we did screw up, which was a real possibility, that we would leave our wives without husbands and our kids without fathers. We're not normal fathers as it is, we're on the road more than we're home. And you just became the father of a girl who's biological parents were pretty awful. The three of you fought the legal system to become a family, and you were risking tearing that away from her for the Millers, who as we've found out, are pretty nice people, but still, that would have been cold comfort to Payton. Especially considering Payton grew up always being overlooked for another kid, her brother. How would she have felt, knowing her beloved new da died trying to save another child?"

Seth felt a shiver go through him as he pictured Kayla explaining to Payton that her da would never come home because he went to save a strange child instead. Payton had been through so much in a short time, losing her brother and her parents, and part of how Kayla and Seth had been helping get her through it was to assure her they would never leave her. That they loved her and would be there for her. If Seth had been killed in that fire, Payton would likely have cracked in a million pieces, because she would have known, Seth had a choice. He didn't have to go into that fire and save that child, he, of his own free will, decided to do it. He, of his own free will, picked another child over his daughter, the little girl he had promised he would never leave. "Is this supposed to make me feel better?" he snapped, before he could stop himself, and he felt the beginning of tears behind his eyes, that prickling feeling.

"No," Dean admitted, "At least not right this second. We're not on the part where we make you feel better, yet, we're on the part where we define what's wrong." He took a celery stalk out of the snack package and started eating it without peanut butter. "Celery is mostly water. You could eat celery all day and not dehydrate, cool, huh?"

Seth barely heard the part about celery. He was too busy thinking about Payton being left fatherless because Seth decided to go along with Dean and save the Millers. "But," he finally said, then paused to swallow, forcing that prickly feeling of tears in his eyes back, "but it turned out okay," he finally managed to say. "I'm fine, Pay's fine, Kayla's fine, you're fine, we're all fine. Yeah, Roman's legs are still a bit of a mess, but he's fine. So why the nightmares?"

"Because you _are_ fine," Dean said. "You're great! You're back at work, this whole thing took us from being popular, to being off the charts. I know it sounds weird, but apparently, by saving the Millers, we've brought new people to wrestling, people who want to see those three good looking idiots who plunged into a fire to save a family. And the WWE is raking in money on it. So, your job is safe, your family is safe. You've healed the physical damage, everything is fine." He paused to take the last of the apple slices and scoop out the rest of the peanut butter he could with it. "But your subconscious? It's still dealing with what you went through. Your subconscious takes a long time to process something like this. But, you have to live your life, right? Gotta go out there and please those fans, you've gotta assure your wife and daughter that you're okay. So, it keeps getting neglected. But at night? When you're sleeping? Then it can come out and play. Then it can be the boogie man and keep showing you over and over what risks you took, how terrible it could have been. And it's going to keep doing that until it realizes, just like your body and your conscious does, that everything is okay. The fire happened and yeah, you took risks, but you're okay. Your whole and you're safe. The subconscious is like this box in your head, where your mind throws everything it doesn't want to deal with right now. It throws it into that box so you can function. But the box gets too full and eventually the lid pops off and whatever is inside comes slithering out. Your box is too full, so some nights when you lay down, things come slithering out. And they will for a bit."

"How long?" Seth said, hating the weak sound to his voice. He took another swallow of Pepsi. He wasn't sure if it was a cure for what ailed him, but it wasn't hurting him either.

"I can't say," Dean said with a shrug. "It depends on your mind. But the fact that you are having these nightmares tells me that your mind and body feel strong enough to deal with it. So you are getting over it, you're just at this suck fest stage where the subconscious has to have its turn to deal. And yeah, its pretty awful, but at least you know whats happening and that you're dealing. And while that's cold comfort, it is comfort."

Seth frowned, thinking about what Dean had said, letting it run over in his mind. It made sense, more sense than he might have wanted to admit, but the truth was the truth. He _was_ fine, at least physically. The actual rescue had taken minutes, to be honest, but in his brain it had seemed like hours. And even though everyone asked about it, asked what it was like, he had always fluffed it off, saying things like, "Really hot!" when the truth was that it had been a terror that was impossible to put into words. Unlike most kids, Seth had never at any point as a kid, wanted to be a fireman. A policeman, sure. An undercover agent for the FBI? Perhaps. A wrestler? Of course, but never a fireman. But this whole thing had taught him to have the utmost respect for firemen. They did this shit every day, they ran into those buildings and saved those people.

Since this had begun, especially in the two weeks following, when the three of them had done a mini good will publicity tour, since they couldn't wrestle, they had gone to countless schools, charity events, etc. And at all of them they were marched out and the MC always announced them as heroes. The word hero wasn't new to Seth, it was a word bandied around a lot. The Make-A-Wish kids were heroes, the WWE superstars were heroes. Hero was a popular buzz word. But every time they used that word to describe him about the fire? Part of Seth had wanted to scream. "I'm not a hero! I was piss-my-pants scared and I'm still scared! Why am I standing out here being honored when there are people who do this every day? Who make it their lives work to run into those buildings? Who do it day after day, knowing that it will _never_ stop? There is no down time for fires. Fires happen all the time. And these men and women go to work every day and do it over and over again. Bring _them_ out on this stage, give _them_ the accolades, not me. I'm just a guy who wears spandex and pretends to beat the crap out of guys or get the crap beaten out of me for the amusement of others. I love my job, I love what I do, but I'm not a hero. You all mob me in public, want to get my autograph, want to take selfies with me. Do you want to get a picture of a real hero? Drive yourself down to your local fire department and take a picture with any one of those folks. _They're_ the heroes, not me."

"How do you know so much about this?" Seth finally asked Dean.

Dean shrugged. "Been there, done that, own the T-shirt, all of that." He drained the last of his bottle of Pepsi and crushed the bottle in his fingers, the cheap plastic making loud and oddly satisfying crackling noises. "Just not about the fire, other things."

"What other things?" Seth asked, curious. Were there other times Dean had done heroic rescues and not told anyone?

"My childhood," Dean said, shrugging. "You know it was crap. I've told you guys it was crap. Not all of it, but I've told you enough of it. Some of it I don't talk about because I don't want everyone to feel sorry for me. And if I told you, you would feel sorry for me, it's human nature. Cinnamon knows more than most, but even she doesn't know all of it. She knows there's more to my childhood than I've told her, and chances are I will tell her more, but in my own time." He looked at Seth, his gaze fixed on him steadily. "I rarely had nightmares as a kid. Sure, sometimes I did, all kids do, but not very often. And if you knew what it was like for me growing up, you'd have understood why I didn't have them. But when I got out of there? When I finally felt like I never had to go home again? The nightmares started. Something always dragged me back home. I'd start out the dreams as a man, and end them as a scared little boy."

Seth stared back at his friend. Dean had always been honest about his terrible childhood, but he had always made light of it too. Making jokes about having to climb over sleeping bodies to get to his kitchen because his mother pretty much ran a flop house for junkies to help support her own habit. Mentioning that he had an Aunt Kelly who used to say and do some nasty things to him. But being Dean, he often found a way to make these things seem funny. Sure, when Seth thought about it later, he realized that to be constantly told how useless you were, or to have someone always trying to grab your balls and pinch them, or hit them, none of that was fun, but one of Dean's gifts was that he could make jokes about that type of thing, make you see the humor of it. And even though it was wrong, you found yourself laughing. And he realized Dean wanted you to laugh, because he had to talk about it sometimes and he didn't want you to just look at him and start screaming. "So, when did the nightmares start?" he finally asked, even though he was pretty sure of the answer. "When you moved out?"

"Nope," Dean said.

"No?" Seth was surprised. "When you met Cinnamon, then?"

"Nope."

Now Seth was shocked. He would have figured if anyone had first made Dean realize that he was safe from the past, it would have been Cinnamon. "Really?"

"I think if I hadn't shot the dog, if we'd stayed together much longer, they would have started," Dean admitted. "Cin and I were on our way to being a family, but my brain wasn't convinced of it yet. I think part of me kept waiting for her to see the real me and reject me, but that's on my shoulder's not hers. I should have realized that if she could still love that pain in the ass dog like she did, of course she was going to still love me."

"So when did they start?" Seth asked, and he really did want to know.

Dean grinned and looked away for a moment, studying the wallpaper again, which since he had mentioned it, did remind Seth as well of a funeral parlor. "When I met you guys," he said. "You and Roman. When we started working together, that's when the nightmares started."

Seth almost gasped, but managed to stop himself. "That long?" he finally asked, hoping he didn't sound as shocked as he felt. " _That_ long?"

Dean smiled, one of those quirky smiles he was so famous for. "Yeah, That long. And I wondered about that, but I gave it some thought and I think I understand why it took that long."

"Why?"

Dean's grin never left his face. "Because when I met you and Roman, I found a family. And I knew that no matter what happened, I'd always have a family."

End of Chapter Five


	6. July 14, 2016  SmackDown

Seth was tired, but feeling better the next day when he reported to work again. It was the main event and SmackDown taping, again, normally the throw away show, but last week's SmackDown had done really well in the ratings. It was obvious that  people had realized the current storyline with Roman Dean and Seth would carry over to both shows, and they were right.

He was sitting at catering, alone, when Stan, head of creative came in. Roman and Dean had been elected for the meet and greet, one of the few things that the WWE was having problems with. People wanted to see the three of them together, like they had the night they had rescued the Millers. But again, as Roman put it, “Kayfabe is dead, except that it isn't,” came into play. The solution the WWE had come up with, at least as far as the show went, was to not have the three of them together for meet and greet, but for other media? That was different. In fact, the three of them would be on two talk shows tomorrow in the next town they were going to for house shows. But for right now, Seth was without his brothers outside the ring.

“Here, Seth, I want to drop off the script,” Stan said, dropping the papers on the table, then sitting down across from him.

Seth eyed the man with suspicion. Usually, Stan wasn't even on the road, but worked out of Connecticut. But for this story, he was traveling along, hiding in the audience to get their reaction. Apparently, he had been given significantly more freedom than normally given on a story line and he was determined to prove the trust was worth it. But, there were other creative folks who always traveled, as well as interns. When it came to passing out scripts, that was usually the job of the lowest intern in the company, or, sometimes even some of the lower end wrestlers. For Stan The Man, as he was often called, to be hand delivering his script, _something_ was up.

The script was in a binder, blue on the sides and back, clear on the front. The top page gave the date and that this was SmackDown. Wrestling scripts were different than other shows, lines were written, but they weren't important to be said exactly as written. Instead, they were more concerned that the idea of the story went across. Quite often, there were lines written, but there were notes saying what was important to carry across that night. More times than Seth could count, instead of memorizing lines, he had gone to the people he would be talking with, and they would work it out themselves instead. The WWE was figuring out that storylines and promos sounded best when the wrestlers put things into their own words.

Stan understood that, which was why he had been nicknamed Stan The Man, by some of the talent. Stan was good at giving lines that worked. People who could wing the storyline? He wrote base lines, knowing they would enhance them with their own words and thoughts. Those who were strictly actors and not very imaginative ones? He wrote more elaborate lines that suited their ring personalities.

Seth studied the binder, but didn't open it. “Why do I rate a hand delivered script from the head writer himself?” he asked, hoping his voice sounded light and joking.

“Why not?” Stan said, smiling. “You, Roman, and Dean are the break out stars, the main storyline. The stars of the _first_ storyline that I'm not constantly having to beg Stephanie, Hunter, and Vince to allow. I gave the script to Vince a few hours ago.” Stan sat down in the chair across from Seth. “Do you know what Vince normally does to a script when I'm on the road? He reads it, marks it up, and sends it back to me a pen scrawled, highlight stained mess that I have to fix.” Stan shook his head sadly, as if remembering many a masterpiece that had been lost. “If I'm back at HQ, he sends it to me via computer with the same mess on it. I curse the day that man learned how to edit in Office. _Then_ , I go through the same thing with Hunter and Stephanie. Then, if I'm lucky, that's enough, but often, I have to then deal with the top talent coming to me all upset and I have to take their wishes into consideration. And when it's done? We start all over again.”

“Uh huh,” Seth said, opening the script and trying not to meet Stan's eyes. Seth had, on a few occasions, _been_ one of the obnoxious talent who demanded changes be made.

“By the time it's all finished, I end up with a watered down version of what I intended,” Stan said, looking slightly disgusted for all he had to put up with.

Seth had the feeling that if this storyline wasn't different from the usual, that if Stan hadn't been given the control he'd been given, that his voice would sound a lot less cheerful and a lot more petulant and whiny. _Can't fault him for that,_ Seth thought, _I've been pretty whiny myself when I've been given certain storylines. I've blamed Stan a lot too, when maybe that shouldn't be the case._

“But today?” Stan smile grew brighter. “Vince glanced at the script. I mean, I left, I always leave him alone with the script, but I was barely back to my makeshift office and Vince walked in, put the script on my desk pretty much untouched and said, 'looks good to me.' And if _that_ wasn't enough, Hunter and Stephanie did pretty much the same thing. So far it's been a red letter day for the Creative department.”

“So far?” Seth couldn't resist a smile, realizing what was going on here and why Stan had hand delivered the script. “Let me guess, you're hoping to get my stamp of approval on it, too.”

“Can't blame a man for wanting to see a great day get greater, can you?” Stan asked.

At that, Seth chuckled, because it was simple and true. He opened the script and started skimming. Stan rose from the table without a word and went over to the catering area, where he helped himself to a bottle of water while Seth looked over the script.

Seth glanced over the script, having read enough of these to know how to skim them and still get the idea. The entire show was there, but his own pages had been marked off with stick on tabs so he could find them easily. He rushed through them, getting the feel for what would be happening. When he was finished, and looked up, he wasn't too surprised to see Stan sitting across from him again, calmly sipping his water. “Well,” Seth said, that little smirk on his face, “at least the worst happens to me off stage and out of sight.”

“Yeah,” Stan agreed, “We figured that would be more dramatic. Does it bother you?”

“No,” Seth shook his head as well, “My kid'll probably prefer it this way too. I'll still warn her tonight, but she won't watch it until Thursday, so she'll be fine.”

“So, you're happy with it?” Stan asked, grinning. “No changes?”

“Nope,” Seth grinned. “None at all.”

Stan responded with a fist pump.

* * *

 

**SmackDown**

 

It was obvious by the way people were looking around at the entrances into the main arena, that most of the crowd was hoping to hear five letters from the phonic alphabet, and to see three guys walking through the crowd. So there were a lot of disappointed boos, when the show opened with the ring announcer proclaiming, “Ladies and Gentlemen, The Authority!”

Stephanie, Hunter, Kevin, Rhyno, Kane, Big Show, and J&J Security came out and stood at the top of the ramp for a moment, acting as if the crowd were cheering for them, instead of showering them with boos and catcalls. Then, Hunter and Stephanie turned, looking at the entrance back stage and then began motioning with their hands, indicating that they were trying to coax someone from back stage. After a moment, Seth came out, looking slightly nervous and relatively humble.

The crowd started cheering for him almost instantly. Seth looked up and smiled weakly, until Hunter frowned at him, while Stephanie glared at the crowd as if she would personally go and slap every person who dared to cheer for Seth Rollins. While the crowd did not seem to care, Seth put his head down again and followed everyone to the ring.

When they got into the ring, Hunter started to put his microphone to his lips and open his mouth, only to be interrupted by Kevin Owens. “Welcome, everyone!” he exclaimed in an over-the-top voice that could only be sarcastic in its over-enthusiasm. “To _SmackDown!”_

The crowd response was tepid at best. Many cheered, as they would any opening, but it was subdued and punctuated with a lot of boos.

Hunter looked at Kevin, eyes narrowed and started to say something, but just as he opened his mouth, Rhyno leaned over to Kevin's microphone, since he wasn't given one, and said, “Yeah! SmackDown!”

Kevin jerked the microphone away from Rhyno and glared at him. Rhyno looked puzzled for a moment, then looked around and saw everyone else in the ring was glaring at him. “Sorry boss,” he said, shrugging and sounding quite happy, like being in trouble was nothing new.

“Ladies and Gentleman,” Stephanie said, obviously smoothing over the gaffe, “Welcome, all of you, to SmackDown!”

There were a few cheers, and a little more excitement then when Kevin had said it, but Stephanie frowned, looking displeased at the lack of enthusiasm. “Excuse me, people, I said, _'Welcome to SmackDown!'”_

The cheers grew slightly louder, mixed in with boos and Stephanie's frown deepened. She looked at Hunter, “Do you believe this crowd? They paid good money to be here, and,” she paused to nod, brows raised, almost seeming to motion to the expensive and well fitting suit she was wearing, “As we all know, it isn't like the people of Detroit are made of money, right?” She gave a small laugh, as if she had said something so amusing that she couldn't stop herself.

Hunter joined in with a low chuckle, ignoring the boos and hisses that came from the crowd. “True!” Hunter said, holding his microphone in one hand and brushing off an imaginary crumb on his immaculate suit with the other. “You'd think the folks here would be happy to have _something_ to cheer about, it's not like the _Tigers_ are giving them anything to make them happy.”

The boos became louder and lower, many people cupping their hands around their mouths to make their unhappiness even louder. It helped that the Tigers were having a rather poor year and had lost their last game spectacularly. Sports teams were like that weird uncle in your family, you could piss and moan about them all you wanted, but outsiders had better show respect. A young boy, standing in the front with his parents, actually wearing a Tigers ball cap, trilled out, “'Thoritiy _stinks!_ ” which the microphones caught. Stephanie rewarded the child with a look that would make ice burst into flames and the boy shrank back, leaning into his mother. But after the look, she ignored him. What most people in the audience didn't know, was that he was the son of one of the local promoters and this had all been set up earlier, right down to making sure there was a microphone near by to catch his shouting.

“Hunter, maybe it isn't SmackDown their booing,” Stephanie said, her voice thoughtful, yet edged with sarcasm, as if she was only pretending this thought was just occurring to her. “Maybe it's _us?”_

The crowd cheered that statement, quite loudly.

_“Us?”_ Hunter jerked back in mock surprise when most of the cheering stopped. “I can't believe it. Are you thinking people don't… respect the Authority?”

Again, more cheering.

“It would seem that way,” Stephanie said, again shaking her head in mock sadness. “And it's such a shame. These people have so _little_ to enjoy in their tiny, meaningless lives, I was really hoping we could bring them a little excitement, a bit of happiness.” She paused to sigh, then her face brightened. “Oh, I know! Maybe they don't want you or I to welcome them. I mean, we probably remind them of their bosses, you know, our nice clothes, our fit bodies, expensive jewelry-”

“-Our mortgages that are paid on time,” Hunter interjected, wearing a smirk. The boos in the crowd took on an almost dark edge.

“Right!” Stephanie agreed, looking at Hunter as if he had said something brilliant. “These people don't want to hear from the _real_ power, they want to hear from… a hero.” She said the word “Hero” the way a soccer mom would say the world “Pedophile,” her nose curling up as if saying the very word even caused a stench to appear.

At this idea, Kevin, Big Show, and Kane frowned as if the word Hero was almost as offensive to them as well, or at least a ridiculous idea. Rhyno, on the other hand, grinned. Seth stayed, exactly as he had been, standing slightly apart from the group, eyes downcast, refusing to look up at the audience, only occasionally looking at Stephanie and Hunter with a wary expression.

“Why, I think you're right!” Hunter agreed, as if speaking to a not-very-bright child who finally managed to put the round peg in the round hole, “These folks want a _hero_ to welcome them to SmackDown.”

“And, as luck would have it, we have a hero right here, on stage with us!” Stephanie walked over to Seth, who looked at her and swallowed nervously. “Seth, you're the _hero_ , right?” She continued to use the word Hero as if it were offensive. “I mean, you and your hero buddies, save that family, rushed into a burning house with no thoughts or concerns for your own safety and welfare. Why, you're the very definition of a hero!”

The crowd broke into cheering at the mention of the fire and Seth's role in turning it from a potential disaster, into a triumph. Seth, however, did not look as if this new found love was making him very happy at all. He allowed himself a brief look into the audience, where it appeared that his glance first caught a huge sign, which had a blown up version of “the” picture taken after the rescue. His eyes widened and he swallowed and forced himself to look at Stephanie, who was standing very close to him now, holding up the microphone. He shook his head.

“Oh, come on now, Seth,” Hunter's voice was that perfect mock jovial tone he reserved for members of the roster he found particularly tiresome. “These people _love_ you! They _care_ about you! And if you care about them, you'll welcome them to SmackDown. Anything else would be rude!”

An internal struggle seemed to go on, a struggle the audience saw mostly in the titantron, via a close up of Seth's face. Finally, as Stephanie kept poking the microphone, closer and closer to his face, he cleared his throat and in a much weaker voice than he usually used, said, “Welcome to SmackDown.”

The crowd cheered loudly, but Stephanie frowned as if the welcome had been greeted by chirping crickets. “I don't think they _heard_ that, Seth. Let's try it again, with a little more _enthusiasm_ this time.”

Seth swallowed again, and drew himself up to full height, then repeated the greeting into the microphone. His voice was louder, but still far from excited. The crowd still cheered though, as if he were screaming at the top of his lungs.

“I still think he could do better,” Stephanie said, looking at Hunter. “What do you think? Do you think Seth could do better?”

“I do,” Hunter said, nodding.

“Maybe, Seth is _lonely,”_ Stephanie suggested. “Maybe Seth misses his _friends_. You know, the ones that helped him rescue the Millers.” She frowned as if she was trying to remember Dean and Roman's names. “The ones that came to his rescue on Raw this week. You know who I'm talking about, right?”

The crowd was cheering and Hunter nodded. “I agree. Let's bring them out, too. Maybe Seth can relax if he has his _real_ friends with him.” He walked to the side of the ring closest to the ramp, and leaned into the ropes. “Roman! Dean!” His voice was loud, booming above the cheering crowd, the mock politeness gone. “Get out here, _now!”_

For awhile, nothing could be heard but the sound of the cheering crowd, then Roman's music began to play. Roman and Dean walked out together from backstage and paused at the top of the ramp, letting the crowd see them and letting the cheers get louder and more enthusiastic. They both glared at Hunter and Stephanie.

“Nice to see you,” Hunter said, his tone not matching the words he spoke. “We need to talk. Get yourselves into this ring.”

Roman and Dean looked at each other, shrugged and came down the ramp. While they didn't race down, they didn't creep either. They walked down at a steady pace and made their way into the ring. They both moved to stand by Seth, as if this was automatic. Stephanie, meanwhile, had motioned for someone to bring her two more microphones, which she handed to Dean and Roman, who took them as if being offered live, angry, snakes.

“So nice of you to join us,” Stephanie said. “It seems your buddy Seth, over here, is having trouble finding his voice. And this crowd wants a welcome from a hero. Since you two are big heroes too, maybe you can do the honors and welcome then to SmackDown?”

Roman and Dean looked at each other and shrugged. “Sure,” Dean said. And putting the microphones up to their mouths, in perfect unison, they exclaimed, “Ladies and Gentleman, Welcome to _**SMACKDOWN!”**_

The crowd broke into wild, screaming cheers, as if they had just been told that everyone who came tonight would be able to get all the free beer they wanted from the concession stand. Stephanie glared at Roman and Dean, as if this reaction displeased her. Roman and Dean grinned at each other, then looked to the crowd, who cheered even louder, as if the free beer offer was now backed with a ride home in a limousine in case they got too drunk.

“My,” Hunter said, when the cheering died down enough so he could speak and be heard. “They certainly seem to like the three of you.” He turned to Stephanie. “Don't they?”

“Yeah, I'll say,” Stephanie said. “I guess it's this whole.. _brotherhood_ thing, you know?” She looked from Dean and Roman back to Hunter. “I mean, they rescue a family together and on Monday, Roman and Dean here, rescued their long lost brother on Raw-”

“-Wait a moment!” Roman interrupted, his voice solid and strong. “It's not what you think.”

“Yeah,” Dean agreed. “Seth turned his back on our brotherhood that night when he went after us with steel chairs.”

“That's right,” Roman agreed. “You do remember that night, don't you Hunter?”

“I certainly do,” Hunter said, “But maybe our audience needs a refresher course.” On cue, the Titantron began playing a recap from the night Shield had broken up, when Seth attacked Roman first, then went after Dean with a folding chair. The audience booed loudly.

When it was over, Hunter turned his attention to Seth. “Do _you_ remember that night?” he asked. “How _happy_ you were to become part of the Authority? How _excited_ you were to finally be going somewhere in this company? How you were _eager_ to leave the dead wood behind?” He motioned to Roman and Dean as he said the words, “Dead wood.” “Do you _remember_ that, Seth? _Do you?”_ He paused.

Seth let the pause drag out, then realize he had to answer. He nodded, still nervous and swallowed. “Yes,” he finally managed to say.

“Are you _sure?”_ Stephanie asked. “Because you haven't been _acting_ like you're a member of the Authority lately. And your brothers over here seem to have gotten awful… _close_ to you again.”

“We told you,” Dean said, before Seth could speak. “It's not what you think. We're _not_ brothers, Seth ended that. We only came to his rescue Monday because you guys took things too far!”

“Yeah,” Roman agreed, nostrils flaring slightly. “We get it, you guys were upset with Seth, but you took it way too far. You were behaving like you were going to kill him.”

“Yeah,” Dean nodded to Roman before turning to Stephanie and Hunter, “We're not going to let you kill him. He may not be our brother now, but he was at one point. He saved our asses more than once, we both agreed we needed to return the favor.”

“Oh, I see,” Hunter said, nodding, looking as if he did not really see at all. “Well, maybe the three of you should work together more often, you know? It might be good for you, just in case there's another house on fire you need to rush into. It's always good to be on the same page, right?”

Even Seth looked at Hunter at this, knowing whatever Hunter was planning, it wouldn't be good. “What are you saying, Trips?” Dean asked, his tone surly.

“Battle Grounds is this Sunday,” Hunter said. “And so far Seth, doesn't have a match.”

 “That's true!” Stephanie said, her tone one of mocking surprise. “In fact, if I remember correctly, Kane and Big Show here, don't have matches, either!”

“An oversight, we assure you,” Hunter said, then turned his attention back to Roman, Dean and Seth. “So, to give the three of you a chance to practice at this… _hero_ thing you're all so fond of, how about we have a three against four tag team match at Battlegrounds!”

The crowd cheered, but there was a slight hesitation to it. Roman, Dean, and Seth exchanged looks. “Wait a moment,” Roman said. “That's four against three, that's not fair.”

“Really?” Stephanie looked surprised. “Are you saying that three big strong heroes like you can't handle it?”

“Of course we can!” Dean said, looking scornful. Seth, on the other hand, didn't look so confident.

“Dean's right, we can handle it,” Roman said. “But that doesn't make it fair.”

Hunter appeared to think about this for a moment, then nodded. “Maybe you're right,” he said. “So, I'll tell you what. Tonight, Roman, for the main event, you have a match against Sheamus. If you win, you can pick any member of Team Authority to be excluded from the match.”

He paused to let the crowd cheer, then his eyes narrowed as he continued. “But if you lose? Then Sheamus joins the match too. Then it's five against three. Does that sound more fair?”

Roman, Seth, and Dean all went wide eyed. Dean opened his mouth as if to tell Triple H off, but Seth slammed his hand over Dean's mouth quickly. “It's-it's fair,” he stammered.

“Good,” Hunter smiled, good humor apparently restored. “But, I have one other stipulation.”

“What's that?” Roman asked, glaring at him.

“If Seth or Dean are found anywhere near the ring tonight during your fight, then Sheamus automatically wins.”

* * *

 

“I don't believe what we just heard,” Micheal Cole almost seemed to stammer, in what would be after a commercial break when SmackDown was on TV.

“Me either!” JBL chimed in. “Do you believe how generous Hunter is? If Roman wins that match, he can pick any person he wants from the Authority and eliminate them from their match at Battlegrounds! What a considerate thing for him to do!”

“But if Sheamus wins, then it becomes five against three!” Byron Saxton pointed out.

“I'm glad you've learned basic math, Byron,” JBL retorted. “Yes, four plus one equals five.”

“Five against three isn't very considerate or generous,” Cole interjected.

“Then Roman better win,” JBL said, and while the cameras were panning into the audience, you could hear the shrug in his voice. “If Roman were a real man, he'd thank Hunter and Stephanie for giving him this opportunity to shine.”

“What about the rule that if Dean or Seth are seen at the ring, it's an automatic disqualification?” Cole asked.

“If Roman can keep his friends from sticking their noses in where it doesn't belong, then there's no problem, is there?” JBL shot back.

“I noticed nobody in the Authority are forbidden from the ring,” Saxton said.

“Of course not,” JBL said, scorn tainting his voice as if he was disgusted he had to pretend to be having an intelligent conversation with these two idiots. The Authority doesn't have to make rules like that. They know how to police their own. It's renegades like Dean and Seth that have to be watched out for. They're the ones that break rules all the time.”

“Isn't Seth a member of the Authority?” Cole asked.

JBL didn't miss a beat, “Yes, but he's obviously under a bad influence by the company he's been keeping. The Authority is fixing that. Giving him another chance to show him his mistakes and correct them.”

Cole opened his mouth to speak, but then Nikki Bella's music started and he closed it, as the ring announcer told everyone that Nikki, accompanied by Brie, was making her way to the ring.

* * *

 

There was a promo that night, just before Dean went out for his match that night, which was to be against Big Show. “So,” Renee asked, “Roman, you'll be facing Sheamus tonight, and if you win, you get to remove whoever you wish from your handicap match with Dean and Seth at Battlegrounds.”

“That's right,” Dean interjected, speaking for Roman. “My brother is gonna send one of those guys packing!” He looked at Roman. “Which one?”

“But,” Renee continued, taking back the microphone. “If you lose, then Sheamus gets to join Team Authority, then it will be five against three.”

“That's a big if,” Roman said.

“Personally? I'd pick Kane,” Dean said, looking thoughtful. “That demon stuff can be pretty vicious. On the other hand though, Corporate Kane is just a big wuss, so maybe not.”

Roman shot dean a look of slightly irritated amusement.

“How do you feel about the rule that if Dean or Seth are caught anywhere near the ring during the match, it's an automatic win for Sheamus?” Renee asked.

“Kevin Owens would be a good one to get rid of too,” Dean was saying, as if Renee and Roman weren't trying to have an interview. “He eats a little too much pie, if you know what I mean, but he's tough and he knows how to use that beer baby belly to his advantage. It's a weight thing.”

“I'm not worried,” Roman said, confidentially. “Dean will be leaving the arena right after his match with Big Show tonight, won't you Dean?” He turned to look at his brother.

“Of course, Rhyno might be a good choice too,” Dean mused, obviously not paying any attention to the interview. “He's a brute and if that gore connects, you're a goner.”

“Dean!” Roman's voice was slightly sharp.

“What?” Dean looked around as if confused, then grinned. “Yeah, right after the match, I am out of here. No chance of me coming to the ring. I'm going to go to the bar down the street, order us a couple of ice cold beers and wait for my brother to come and tell me which one of the Authority won't be up against us at Battlegrounds!”

“And what about Seth?” Renee asked. “Are you worried he might show up?”

“Not a chance,” Roman said, with a slight roll of his eyes. “First, the Authority has him on such a short leash, he's probably hiding in his dressing room. Second, he's not going to risk a five on three handicapped match for Battlegrounds. He's not that stupid.”

After winning the match he had with Big Show, they showed Dean getting into his rental car and leaving the arena.

* * *

 

 “Making his way to the ring now,” Lilian Garcia cheerfully informed the crowd, “From Pensacola Florida, Standing 6' 3” tall, weighing 265, it's _Roman Reigns!”_

The cheers for Roman as he made his way to the ring were almost louder than his theme music. His passage down the stairs was greeted with fist bumps and pats to the back, which he returned when he could, but there was a look of fierce determination on his face, as if he was determined to do anything and everything to make sure he won this fight, that he understood, just how much was at stake here.

Sheamus was already in the ring, having been announced first. He stood in his corner with a smug, bored expression as if Roman Reigns was a mere blip in the radar of his greatness. When Roman paused on the stairs to flip his hair back and raise his fists in victory, Sheamus did a quick, less-than-flattering imitation, complete with a rolling of his eyes as if to say, “Stop your grandstanding man, and get in the ring so I can kick your arse!”

“Roman has a heavy burden on his shoulders tonight,” Cole commented as Roman stepped into the ring. “This fight will determine if his match at Battlegrounds will be three on three, or a five on three handicapped match.”

“That's right,” Saxton enthusiastically agreed. “There's more riding on this match than a victory, this could be the deciding factor on how Roman, Dean, and Seth will fare at Battleground this Sunday. Do you think he's feeling the pressure?”

“He's got to be,” Cole said.

“Oh _please_ ,” JBL said, sounding miffed. “It's his own fault he's in this situation, don't feel sorry for him!”

“How is this his fault?” Cole asked.

“He and Dean should have been more respectful when they were called out earlier.”

“What did they do wrong on the show opening?” Saxton asked, sounding baffled. “Triple H called them out, and they came out, what else were they supposed to do?”

“They came out slowly,” JBL said, with a dismissive wave of his hand, that the camera caught. “They were surly about it, That was very disrespectful.”

“ _Disrespectful?”_ Cole said, his voice tinged in disbelief. “Were we watching the same thing?”

“Of course we were,” JBL said. “But you just didn't see the truth, because you're blind as a bat.”

The cameras caught Micheal Cole pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose, from where they had slipped.

* * *

 

As the match started, Sheamus powered out, seeming determined to take Roman down and out as fast as he could. While normally saved as Finisher move, he ended up giving Roman a solid Brogue Kick, only minutes into the match, which sent Roman flying back into the ring post, where his head snapped back and appeared to hit the ring posts. Roman fell forward, face first on the mat, his body rose once from the force, then hit the floor of the mat and lay still.

“That's what I love about a wrestler like Roman,” JBL's voice was positively gleeful, “when he falls, he _bounces!”_

Sheamus looked almost shocked for a moment, as if he couldn't believe this was happening so fast. Then he pounded his chest with one arm, the other high in the air. Most of the crowd booed angrily, although there were a few cheers. Sheamus ran over, flipped Roman over and went for the pin.

“One! Two!” The referee shouted, but just as his hand was coming down for the three count, Roman pushed Sheamus off of him. A close up of Sheamus' face showed he was disgusted and annoyed that this quick and easy victory had been pulled from his grasp. Roman rolled into a sitting position and blinked rapidly, looking dazed as if he didn't quite believe he had managed to get out of that one.

Before Roman could seemingly catch his breath, Sheamus went over and grabbing him by the hair, hauled him to his feet and kneed him in the stomach. Roman bent over from the force and for a moment, the color almost seemed to drain from his face and he looked as if he might vomit.

The crowd seemed mostly unhappy at this apparent slaughter of Roman, but Sheamus acted as if boos were cries of adulation. He continued to go after Roman mercilessly, refusing to let Roman catch his breath and get his bearings. Blow after blow, kick after kick, he delivered to the Powerhouse, and then, sent him over the ropes. Roman slammed off the barricade so forcefully that the people standing near it seemed almost to vibrate with the force. Then he rolled, not just up to the ring apron, but under it.

Sheamus didn't notice Roman had rolled out of sight, he was too busy pounding his chest and grandstanding as if again, he knew he had won. When the referee frowned at him, Sheamus shrugged as if to say, “C'mon, face it, I won. Might as well just say I won, right?” When the referee frowned, Sheamus reluctantly slid out of the ring.

When he got to the side where he had thrown Roman, he looked around, bewildered that Roman was out of sight. He looked about for a bit, then strutted around the corner to the side closest to the announcer tables, again looking about, thinking Roman might have made it over there to lick his wounds. When he didn't see Roman, he made his way to the other side. Just as he was by the corner ring stairs, Roman flew out from under the ring and did a flying tackle into Sheamus' back, slamming him into the steel stairs. Sheamus' belly hit the edge of them, and he fell forward, his face smashing into the steel. When he lifted his head, there was a small trickle of blood coming from his nose.

The crowd cheered loudly and enthusiastically, clearly pleased to see Roman finally getting one off on Sheamus.

“Do you believe that?” JBL exclaimed.

“Looks like Roman was down, but not out!” Cole said, sounding much more positive about this turn of events.

“Poor Sheamus,” JBL said. “He doesn't deserve this brutality.”

Roman straightened out and raised his fists, pandering to the audience, showing them that he had his second wind and he would take care of this snotty red hair problem, post haste.

The referee moved over to the ropes and began a count out. “One! Two!”

On the count of five, Roman grabbed Sheamus, who was still slumped over the stairs, looking dazed, and threw him into the ring. On the count of six, Roman himself rolled into the ring. Sheamus had rolled away and managed to stagger to his feet, some of the blood from his nose had dripped down to his chest. With his extremely pale skin, and the bright lights, the blood seemed somehow more colorful, like the red of a child's toy and for some reason, that made it even worse to see.

The crowd, however, did not seem to have much sympathy for Sheamus and his nose. A chorus of boos broke out as he staggered about.

Roman rolled to his knees, staring at Sheamus as if he were hunter and Sheamus was prey. Sheamus' back was to him and Roman looked at his hand for a moment, as if he was finally realizing he had a powerful weapon in his arsenal. With a grin that made the audience cheer even louder, he slid his other hand down his wrist and curled the hand into a fist, which he brought forward and pounded onto the mat. The crowd cheered, certain that they were going to see a Superman punch delivered.

Then, Kane's music filled the arena, bringing everything to a crashing halt.

“Kane?” Cole said, his voice tinged in disbelieve as the cameras panned to the top of the ramp, which was empty.

“He's probably got an important announcement to make,” JBL said.

“ _Now?”_ Byron questioned.

“He's a busy guy,” JBL said. “He's got to fit things in when he can.”

The crowd went silent and all that could be heard was Kane's music. Everyone's gaze was fixed on the top of the ramp, wondering what was going on, pretty sure this would not be good news for Roman.

Then, Kane came from around the back. But he wasn't in his common, business suit, nor was his face bare. Instead he wore a new costume, similar to the one he wore as the Big, Red Machine, but different, too. The black material looked almost inky, and moved with his body as if it weren't really material, but an alien life form that had attached itself to his body. There was much less red on this costume, but what their was, seemed to be almost brilliant, as if it took the darkness from the black and turned it into a glow.

The mask was back, but it too had undergone a transformation, appearing to be made out of the same, faintly sentient seeming material as the rest of his costume. It covered most of his face, except for his eyes, and there were slashes of red in it, that almost looked as if Kane had tried to claw it off, but the alien life form that had possessed it had been able to fight him off, possess him and all that remained was blood. The costume spoke of a struggle between the Demon and the executive, and the executive had lost, badly, possibly destroyed forever.

And while the costume was enough to make people gasp, the true horror was what he carried. Cradled in his arms, as if he were naught but a sleeping child, was Seth Rollins. His head was flopped over the big man's arms, eyes shut, hair hanging. His feet were Stangling over the other arm, so limp that it almost seemed as if they were dangling in the breeze. When the cameras zoomed in, the audience could see on the titantron, angry red marks on Seth's neck and forehead, but other than that, nothing to indicate a struggle. No puffiness, no blood, with the exception of the red marks, Seth looked untouched, almost blemish free. It gave an eerie feeling to the whole picture, as if Seth hadn't been beaten, but caught unaware and part of his life force drained from his body by means no one knew.

Silently, all eyes upon him, especially Sheamus and Roman's, Kane made his way down the ramp, slowly, steadily, as if he were delivering a very important package. Even the announcers were quiet.

When he got to the edge of the ring, he tossed Seth over the top rope, as easily as he would have tossed a bag full of paper into a dumpster. Seth hit the floor of the ramp with a thud that was heard by everyone. Then, without a sound, he turned and headed back up the ramp.

When Kane's back was to the ring, that seemed to break Roman out of whatever spell Kane had put on him, and he rushed to Seth, kneeling beside him and cradling him in his arms, his expression reminiscent of how a young boy might cradle his beloved dog who had just been hit by a car.

The arena remained silent. Even the announcers said nothing. They didn't have to recap, everyone got the message loud and clear.

Seth was in the ring. Roman had lost the match.

End of Chapter Six.


	7. Battlegrounds 7-17-16

_The Night Before_

 

“So, let me guess, the big surprise tomorrow is that we'll hear, 'Sierra, Hotel, India, Echo, Lima, Delta' coming over the loudspeakers and the Shield will be coming down the entrance?”

Roman looked up at Jessica, who was standing by the foot of the bed he was stretched out on. She was wearing one of his Roman Reigns T-shirts, and likely, nothing else. The shirt was way too large for her and fell off of one shoulder. It hung low enough past her waist that she could have worn it as a dress, and while she would have looked strange, it would have been perfectly legal on the streets. "Maybe," he said, eying her carefully. The shirt concealed her fantastic figure, but he knew it well enough that he was imagining it. "Maybe not."

"Oh, c'mon," She knelt at the foot of the bed, smiling at him in a way that made Roman pretty sure she wasn't wearing panties under that shirt and made him determined to find out if that was a fact or not. “That's got to be the plan, right? We hear the words, the music starts, you three guys all in black, making your way to the ring, a million girls swoon! C'mon, you can tell me.”

“And what if I don't?” Roman grinned. Leah was in the other room, sound asleep, he knew he should probably be getting some sleep himself, but if Jessica wanted to keep him up a little longer, he had no objections at all. In the old days, they told athletes that “intimate relationships” before a big event would drain your energy. Thank God nobody believed that anymore, but if they had? Roman would have known that was bullshit. Sex, especially good sex, which it pretty much always was with Jessica, recharged him. It helped him sleep better the night before and wake up more refreshed and energized.

"Then I might have to... _punish_ you." She smiled, a look on her face that told Roman exactly what she had in mind and it _wasn't_ punishment.

"Oh?" His brows arched. "And how are you going to punish me?" He was longing to reach for her, wrap his arms around her, but the game she was playing was amusing. "Tie me to the bed, perhaps?"

"That's not a punishment, that's a gift," she retorted. "I was thinking more on the lines of tit for tat. You withhold information from me? I withhold something from you." As she spoke, she moved up the bed, stretching herself out, her long hair falling over her shoulders, spilling over her shoulders, into her face.

"Think about that for a moment, baby girl," he said, the smile on his face deepening. "We see each other, how often? I mean, I ain't one to brag, but wouldn't that be punishing yourself, too?"

She glared at him for a moment, then, unable to hold it, she burst out laughing and fell on him. He saw it coming and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into him, moving her so they were face to face, and then kissing her deeply. _No one can kiss like Jessica_ , he thought, as his arms tightened around her shoulders. I _t's like that first sip of water, when you've been doing a heavy work out and you've been sweating up a storm, it's like it's 104 degrees outside and you've been out in the hot sun, and you feel like you're cooking your insides, and you're handed this ice cream cone and the ice cream is so cold that there is vapor rising from it, and you can see little ice crystals on the edges, and you take that first lick. It's like that, but it's better. It's the first spring day after a long winter, it's the first fall day after a hot summer, it's everything in itself and the promise of everything good to come._ He moved, rolling so she was under him. Automatically, she moved her legs apart so he could fit between them, their stomachs pressed together. She shifted, wrapping her legs around his butt, and they kept kissing.

As it turned out, she wasn't wearing any panties under that T-shirt and that suited Roman just fine.

* * *

 

The Morning Of Battlegrounds

Despite the lack of sleep he'd was suffering from, and the promise that he didn't have to report to the arena until One in the afternoon for Battlegrounds, Seth found himself still waking up very early that Sunday morning. He debated if she should wake Kayla up, but she was flat on her back, mouth slightly open, snoring just a little bit and she looked so deeply asleep, he decided against that. Besides, they'd had some wonderful “adult time” when Payton had finally gone to sleep last night, so he felt fine about just letting her sleep. Soon enough they'd have more time to be together. He wished he could tell her that part, but he, Dean and Roman agreed, at this point, they were keeping that card close to the vest, so-to-speak.

“If one of them finds out, the others will, then the kids will overhear and no one will get a moment of peace. We need to spring this on them at the last moment,” Dean had told them and they all agreed. Even Hunter and Stephanie and anyone else in on the surprise agreed to keep quiet if they ran into any of the family, back stage.

Seth pulled on a pair of sweat pants and even though it was summer, he didn't feel too hot in them, he liked to keep the room cool at night, cold even. Kayla liked it cold too, when she slept, and fortunately, this was one of those great hotel suites where the bedrooms and the main quarters had their own separate thermostats, so everyone could enjoy whatever temperature they wanted for sleeping. He knew that Payton liked things a little on the warm side herself.

He left the room, quietly pulling the door shut and walked into the main area, which had a couch and a TV area, and a kitchenette area that had a small refrigerator, stove, coffee maker, stove top, and a small, round table that could seat no more than four people comfortably. To his surprise, Payton was sitting at the table, carefully peeling an orange and pulling off the little white strings that gathered. She had a small bowl in front of her where she was discarding the peels. The expression on her face was so serious that one might have thought she was attempting to deactivate a bomb, but when she heard the door to the bedroom open, she looked up and smiled at him.

“Morning,” He more mouthed than said out loud, not wanting to wake Kayla.

“Morning, Da,” she said, her own voice soft.

He walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. It wasn't full, but Kayla had picked up a few essentials for the short time they'd be there, including juice for Payton, bottled water, fruit and a few other things. There was a pitcher of iced tea, which he took and poured himself a glass from, then put both pitcher and glass on the table and sat down across from Payton. “Morning, Pay-pay, did you sleep well?”

She shrugged, not indicating a horrific night, but not indicating the most restful night ever. “I guess,” she finally said.

_How non-committal of you_ , he thought, but decided not to say. Instead he took a sip of the iced tea. It was a mint and green tea blend, which told him that Kayla had made it up herself, probably yesterday when she got there, and stashed away for them both. He smiled, reminding himself to thank her for that. She was good at that, coming up with small, subtle ways of letting him know that even when they were traveling together, they were still a family and if they couldn't be at their house, she would do what she could to make this temporary room a home. “Are you looking forward to Battlegrounds?” he asked, deciding to steer off the subject of sleep.

“I guess,” she said, thoughtfully pulling off a string of the orange and discarding it. Then she she abruptly put the orange in the bowl, on top of the peels and looked at him. “No,” she said firmly, “No, I'm not.”

He had been about to take another sip of iced tea, but her proclamation surprised him so much, he stopped and put the glass down instead. “Why not?”

She frowned. “It's all turned into Beat Up on my Da, and I don't like it,” she said, her voice firm.

He swallowed, but forced himself to shrug too. “Pay, it's the business, you know that. Sometimes you're on top, sometimes you're at the bottom. You've known that since...well, since before we knew you.”

“Yes,” she said, the word almost coming out like a sigh instead of normal speech. “I _know_ that, but lately, it's been one excuse after another to beat you up, and _I don't like it!”_

He was surprised at how high her voice rose for those last four words. He knew Leah and Neil didn't like it when their dads were the victims of the wrath of another wrestler or of the authority, or another faction, but at least from what Roman and Dean said, they seemed to accept it as part of the game that had to be played. He thought Payton understood that too, but now he wondered. “I'm okay though,” he reminded her, spreading out his arms so she could see his chest. “See? Hardly a bruise on me. Your Da is made of tough stuff!”

She smiled at that, then frowned, still ignoring her carefully peeled orange. “But I don't _like_ all this stuff with Kevin Owens,” she made Kevin Owens sound like the most foul of swear words. “And Rhyno. And all this… _stuff_ about you being wrong because you hang out with Uncle Dean and Uncle Roman.” Her scowl deepened, cutting furrows into her brow. “You three _saved_ that family and that was a _good_ thing, so why do they have to be such… _dicks_ about it?”

“ _Dicks?”_ Seth raised his brows.

“Jerks,” Payton quickly corrected. “Why do they have to be such jerks?”

Seth tried not to grin, knowing she wouldn't find this situation humorous. “Pay, remember when we met? You said you liked bad guys better than good guys.”

Payton frowned and gave him a look that clearly said she suspected she was being tricked. “Yes,” she finally admitted, “But that's before you became my Da and before the bad guys started picking on you.”

“Honey, that's just the way it is with bad guys,” Seth explained. “They want to do anything to get ahead. Kevin Owens doesn't like that I was the authority's favorite guy for so long. He wants to be their favorite guy. He wants to be me. So he figures that by destroying me, he will be their favorite. I know, it's not very nice, but that's the way it is.”

“Yeah?” She looked down at the bowl with the orange and the peels and refused to meet his eyes. “I don't like it. I only get to see you on TV for days on end, because you're sometimes too busy to Skype, then when I _do_ see you, they're beating you up, like lots of _them_ and one of _you_ and I don't like it. I wanna see you happy. I wanna see you win once in awhile, and you don't win anymore.”

He smiled and pushed himself and the chair away from the table. “C'mer, Pay.”

She slipped from her seat and went over to him, where he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. He knew the day was coming, way too soon for his liking, that he wouldn't be able to do this, but for now, he was going to cherish the time they had. She cuddled up to him, leaning her head against his arm and chest.

“It's story telling, Payton,” he explained. “Just like any other TV show or book, we're telling a story. And in this case, the story is, is Seth Rollins really a bad guy? Sure, he's been a bad guy for awhile now, but is he seeing the truth? Did something happen to show him that being a bad guy isn't really all that great? Is he wondering if losing his friends, his brothers, two guys would would risk their lives for him, really worth what he got? Sure, he got the gold briefcase, he got the Championship. But now he's lost those things, and what does he have? It's pretty obvious that he has no loyalty going for him. No one in the Authority seems to care about Seth, in fact, one of the members of The Authority would like nothing more than for Seth to be barred.”

“It's weird hearing you talk about yourself like you're someone else,” Payton commented, looking at him, her eyes round and yet solemn.

“Yeah, I know,” Seth agreed, “But I'm not story Seth, I'm your da, Seth. Story Seth is just someone I play. See the difference?”

“I guess,” she shrugged, not looking convinced. “But, Da, I just have the feeling something really bad will happen today.” She snuggled close. “That even though it's five on three, which is bad enough, that won't be all, it will get even worse.”

Now his own eyes were the ones that were widening, but he swallowed and hugged her, giving himself a moment to change expressions. “I can't tell you if that's true or not,” he said. “I'm not allowed to give out spoilers.” He drew away from the hug and looked down at her. “But I can promise you this, that next week at this time you'll be very happy with what's going on.”

“I will?”

He was amazed at how distrustful she could look when she wanted to, and this was probably her most skeptical. “Yes,” he assured her. “Next week at this time, if not sooner, you are going to be thrilled with how everything worked out. Not just you, but your mother and your Uncle Dean and his family and your Uncle Roman and his family too.”

“So the Shield is reuniting?” she asked, pointedly.

“I can't answer that,” he said. “But again, no matter what happens today, know that first, I am all right. Your da is a tough guy and tough guys always find a way to get by. And know that at this time next week, you'll think everything is great. Will you do that for me? Remember that?”

She looked at him, studying his face as if trying to see if there was any trace of deceit he was hiding. She obviously saw none, because she finally nodded. “Okay,” she added, “I'll remember.”

“That's all I can ask, Pay-pay.” He hugged her again.

* * *

 

 

**Battlegrounds**

 

The week leading up to Battlegrounds had been a wild week for the crowd who got their news and information about wrestling from the internet. The cheat sheets had a fine old time speculating, the discussion boards even more fun. The usual leaks seemed to have been plugged up, but there were plenty of sock puppets willing to step forward and claim to have secret knowledge. And the general consensus was the Shield was going to reunite for this Pay-Per-View. The Smarks bemoaned this, claiming that this was just the WWE's way of pandering to the newcomers to wrestlers, the folks who were only watching because of the fire, the folks that would stop watching as soon as they got bored. The more causal fans and the true and loyal Shield fans were thrilled that this was happening. It seemed like almost everyone coming to the event had a sign expressing happiness or annoyance at Shield being together again, even though nothing had been said about it. Yes, the three former members of Shield were in a match against the Authority, but nobody said that meant _Shield_ was fighting.

The battle between Roman, Dean, and Seth versus Kane, Big Show, Owens, Rhyno and Sheamus was set for the main event. It was rather odd, because there was so much talent riding in one event, but Stan and the creative staff had taken that into account too, and had built up other storylines that could carry the Pay Per View. There would be no battle for the US championship, because Owens still had that, but the IC was fought for and won by Neville, who looked so happy when he got it, that even his few detractors rose from their seats and cheered for him. After a long time and some tough going, Jimmy and Jey Uso took the tag team championships from The Prime Time Players, much to the dismay of New Day, who were still convinced that the titles had somehow been stolen from them, after having lost them at least twice to clean victories.

Cesaro retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against a battle with Dolph Ziggler. It was supposed to be a second rate match, just a warm up to the real match which would take place between Cesaro and Lesnar at Summer Slam, but Cesaro and Dolph didn't look at it that way, and put on a fantastic match that would have been well worthy of the main event if it had been in that spot.

The Woman's Tag Team division, along with newly designed Championship belts was reinstated, the first winners Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, who put up a fantastic match with Sasha Banks and Natalia, who had only recently formed a tag team. The diva's division had been doing so well lately, that the Divas and the WWE universe were rather adamant that there needed to be more than one belt for them to compete for. Tag team champion belts seemed to be a good start.

Despite all of this excitement, it was still obvious that everyone was waiting for the main event. Through everything else, the announcers kept teasing at it too, reminding everyone that this would be a five against three handicap match, no DQ. Jerry Lawler reminded everyone too, that it might actually be seven against three, because of J&J. Even though JBL tried to pass that off as something the Authority would _never_ do, no one quite believed him.

Between fights, they often showed Roman, Dean and Seth talking, but there was music played over it, and nothing specific was being said. From the body language, it was obvious that Seth was uncomfortable, but trying his best not to show it. Dean and Roman seemed to be trying to assure him that they had this, that they wouldn't let him down, if he agreed to work with them.

There was a fund raising drive, sponsored by the WWE for the Make-A-Wish foundation, and through out the program, different spots were played for it, encouraging people to donate ten dollars by texting to a special number. John Cena, unable to wrestle due to a knee injury, came out and encourage the audience both at the arena and at home to buy a particular T-shirt, that celebrated both WWE and Make-A-Wish, telling them that 100% of the profits would go to Make-A-Wish.

Before the main event, the cameras focused on back stage, where Roman and Dean were heading down a hall, looking in high spirits. Seth was nowhere to be seen. Dean was taking fake punches, giving the air a terrific beating.

“Do we got this?” Roman asked.

“We got this!” Dean agreed, giving the air a ferocious jab.

“Damned straight we do!” Roman said. “C'mon, let's get Seth and get ready.”

As they rounded the corner, Alicia Fox almost ran into them, coming from the opposite direction. When she saw them, she became even more agitated. “Oh, I'm so happy to see you! You have to help me, come quick!”

“Why?” Dean frowned.

“What's going on?” Roman asked.

“It's Brie!” Alicia exclaimed, looking as if she might cry. “She was getting something for Stephanie and something fell on her! She can't move and it's too heavy for me to lift!”

Roman and Dean followed after her, as she raced up the hall, pointing to an open door. “She's in there!” Alicia explained, then added, “Hurry, I think her leg is broken!”

They rushed into the room, which in their haste, and belief of the story, neither Dean nor Roman seemed to notice that the lights weren't on. The moment they were inside, Alicia slammed the door and looked behind her.

Stephanie, Nikki, and Brie were standing there, wearing identical, devious little smiles. “Good work,” Stephanie said, nodding to Alicia.

“I _told_ you I could do it,” Alicia said, with a smug grin. “And there is no back way out of that room, I double checked. They're stuck in there until we let them out.”

“Good,” Stephanie said, nodding again, with that smug look only someone who has just seen an evil plan come together could have. “Seth didn't like five against three odds? Let's see how he'll like _five_ against one.”

Brie and Alicia giggled as if Stephanie had just told the funniest joke they ever heard. As they walked away, you could hear the sounds of banging coming from the door along with muffled cries of distress.

* * *

 

When the cameras broke away from that, they started playing a very long promo for Make-A-Wish, the longest one to be played all night. In this one, various superstars and various kid from the Make-A-Wish foundation spoke and told how much the program meant to them. Parents of some of these children were shown too, talking about how much it had meant to their child that a Superstar had taken time out of their busy schedule to spend a day with them. It was heartwarming, touching, and slightly on the sappy side, but the whole five minutes it played, donations to Make-A-Wish skyrocketed in ten dollar texted increments.

When the promo was finished and they focused on the ring, one by one they began announcing Team Authority, starting with Keven Owens and Rhyno, who came out together to Kevin's music and a lot of booing by the crowd. Rhyno paused and waved to everyone, as if he was convinced that the booing wasn't meant to be taken seriously. There was something so endearing about him, that some folks did begin to cheer. A young girl, a toddler really, who was being held by her father right by the barricade, opened and closed her fingers in a childish wave. Rhyno went up and patted the girl on the head, which made her grin and then hide her face in her father's shirt. Kevin scowled at Rhyno, as if he had done the unforgivable, and pulled him by his shirt towards the ring. Rhyno shrugged as if he realized this was another one of life's great mysteries that he would never solve and cheerfully went to the ring.

Big show was next, coming to the ring among cries of, “Please retire!” and lots of booing. He glared at the audience as if he would like nothing more than to sit his huge ass on each and every one of them. Sheamus was next, his arrival heralded by a chorus of audience members reminding him that he looked stupid. This did not seem to put him in a good mood.

The last to be announced was Kane. And when his music began to play, the entire stadium went pitch black, throwing everyone in an inky silence as well as darkness. People had been buzzing about the costume he had worn in SmackDown, wanting to see it again, wanting to see if it really was as black and seemingly alive as it had been the other night. The darkness disappointed them and they strained their eyes trying to see if they could make him out.

Then came a popping noise, and the glow of flame could be seen on either side of the ramp. In the dim glow from the faintly orange, tiny fires, was the figure of a man, but the glow from the small flames wasn't enough to make him recognizable to anyone. He started walking down the ramp, and with each footstep, another small fire lit on either side of him, as if his very act of putting his feet on the ground caused the fires to light. Almost as slowly and definitely as deliberately as the Undertaker, Kane walked to the ring. Even as he walked up the stairs, the fires continue to light on either side of him, until he made it into the ring. Then, he raised his hands and brought them down quickly, which caused fire to spout from all four of the ring posts. But unlike the usual fires Kane produced, the ones with the sparks and the wild shoot flames, these were eerie flames of green and purple, edged with yellow and orange, as if they weren't exactly flames, but the souls of the damned that were burning in hell, brought forth to do the bidding of their master. They danced around for a few seconds, the only light in the stadium, then burned out with a slow flicker. As they burned out, the lights came back on.

Indeed Kane was wearing the new outfit, primarily black, the red looking more like claw marks made into some alien life form than designs. The outfit made him look younger and more fit than he had for years. If you had put a picture of this Kane and Corporate Kane together, you would have a hard time believing they were one and the same, and indeed the internet was full of speculation that perhaps the old Kane had retired and was being replaced by a younger, fitter man. Indeed his own teammates were certainly not treating him like Corporate Kane, standing apart from him as he made his way over to them, as if they didn't want to get too close. Even Rhyno seemed cautious of this Kane and hovered closer to Kevin.

“Kane has sure changed,” Jerry remarked. “I wonder what happened?”

“Some are saying that isn't the Kane we know, that a new Kane is taking his place.” Cole remarked.

“People say the _stupidest_ things,” JBL said with a snort. “That's why I never trust them.”

Then, Seth's music began and Seth made his way down to the ring, refusing to look to either side of him, heading straight for the ring as if it were a dentist's office and he had a swollen tooth.

“Seth doesn't look too happy!” JBL sounded positively delighted as if Seth's misery was a wellspring of happiness on which JBL could draw.

“Do you blame him?” Jerry asked. “The Authority has Roman and Dean locked away! This means Seth is alone out there.”

“They should call the match,” Cole said.

“They should do no such thing,” JBL retorted. “Seth needs to learn his lesson.”

“And what lesson is that?” asked Cole.

“Not to mess with the Authority,” came out of JBL sounding like something he said so often, that he probably mumbled it in his sleep.

When Seth got into the ring, he kept to his corner, staring mostly at the floor, looking occasionally at the opposing team, especially at Kane who seemed to stare back. Kane's new mask only had eye holes, which gave the impression that his mouth and nose had disappeared, that whatever alien life form was pretending to be his suit, it had no need for Kane to breathe or eat, all it needed were his eyes and his body.

Then Roman's music started and people rose in their seats, looking around frantically, hoping beyond hope that somehow, Dean and Roman had made it out of the locked room and were on their way. The spotlights went to the usual door Roman came through the crowd by, then over to the other door, just in case. They waved around the audience as if perhaps, someone was hiding him.

No Roman.

A close up of Seth's face showed sweat popping out on his brow.

Next, Dean's music played and everyone looked to the top of the ramp hoping Dean would appear, perhaps with Roman by his side.

No Dean.

There was an uncomfortable silence as people waited to see what would happen. Then the Authority's music began to play and Stephanie and Hunter came from around the corner, smiling the smile of a cat who knows he drank all the cream. People began to boo.

“Gee, Seth,” Hunter said. “It looks like your friends have decided not to show up tonight.”

Seth bit his lip and stared at them.

“I don't know what happened!” Stephanie said, but there was a trace of merriment in her voice as if she wanted to burst out laughing.

“Now, normally, we might call this match,” Hunter said, still smiling. “But you know, Seth, you've always loved the numbers game.”

“That's true,” Stephanie said, her nose wrinkling again as if she were stifling an amused laugh. “You have to admit, Seth, you've always _loved_ playing the numbers.”

“Now let's see how much you love it, when the numbers don't favor you.” Hunter said, his voice suddenly becoming much colder. He looked to Kevin, Kane, and the rest of Team Authority and gave them a curt nod. “Destroy him,” he said, then turned and arm and arm with Stephanie, they walked back stage looking like a King and Queen who had just turned over an enemy of the state to the executioners.

To be fair, the match started out with Team Authority taking turns against Seth, even tagging each other in and out. And at the beginning, Seth seemed to have taken the attitude that while he was sure he would lose, he would at least go down fighting. He pulled every trick he could out of his arsenal, landing punches and kicks as fast as he could. But after awhile, Team Authority got tired of playing by the rules and started going after him, two on one, then three on one, then four on one. Seth found himself constantly being held while others beat on him, not giving him a chance to fight back.

Kane had barely done anything for this match, more than content to stand on the sidelines and watch as if this was nothing but a minor amusement holding no particular significance.

Eventually, even the announcers were reduced to merely talking how unfair this was, how it was nothing but a slaughter. JBL tried to talk up the Authority, but after awhile, even he became strangely silent as if he had just run out of clever ways to defend them. He stuck to merely talking about various moves.

Then, as if on cue, Kane calmly got into the ring. The referee was close by, trying to establish some form of order, but failing. Without a word, Kane walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned, Kane grabbed him and threw him out of the ring.

As if this were a signal, the other four members of Team Authority stopped and looked at Kane. Seth tried to use this opportunity to get away, but Sheamus had him held firm in an arm lock across his back. He struggled weakly, but it was obvious he wasn't going anywhere.

Kevin frowned for a moment, looking as if he was expecting something from Kane he wasn't sure he wanted to do. Kane fixed him with a look, and suddenly Kevin's eyes widened and he went back to Seth.

Kane slowly made his way to the center of the ring while Sheamus, Kevin, and Big Show each grabbed an arm or a leg of Seth. Rhyno stood there, staring at them for a moment, puzzled until Kevin pointed to Seth's left leg. Then Rhyno grinned, nodded and went over to take his leg.

The four men lifted Seth off the ground and slowly, as if this were a well rehearsed ritual, started bringing Seth over to Kane.

“What are they doing?” Lawler asked, sounding bewildered.

“I have no idea,” Cole admitted.

“Whatever it is, it won't be good for Seth!” JBL declared, managing to sound slightly enthusiastic about whatever fate awaited Seth.

The audience was strangely quiet, as if they too, might be feeling whatever was going to Seth was taking things too far. Even though Kane had no weapons, the eerie costume that seemed almost to be not a costume, but an entity that had taken him over seemed to make him capable of almost anything. Wrestling was all about the physical punishment, but some folks were wondering if there was some things worse than physical punishment.

They had almost reached Kane when the cheering broke out, confusing people who only kept their eyes on the ring, then as the cheering got louder, the cameras panned out and moved to the ramp, where it looked like most of the locker room was pouring out and down the ramp, running as fast as they could. They piled into the ring, using the stairs, sliding in through the bottom, every way possible.

Kane stepped back calmly, as if this interruption was none of his concern. The other four members of Team authority dropped Seth and started attacking the other wrestlers that had entered the ring.

Last to come down were Roman and Dean, running as fast as they could. They both slid into the ring and joined the fray, Roman first making sure to pull Seth out of the ring and lean him carefully against the barricade, taking him out of the action. Seth leaned against the barricade, nodding weakly to Roman and motioning to the ring. Roman nodded and slid into the ring, where he punched Big Show in the head before Big Show could hit Dean in the chest.

The battle was nothing but chaos, with so much to see that no one seemed to notice Kane calmly jumping off the ring apron and walking slowly, deliberately towards Seth. Then, as if it were an afterthought, a camera caught him, and then focused in.

Kane walked over to Seth and stood in front of him, staring at him. Seth looked up, looking at his face, his own covered in sweat. Their gazes locked and the color seemed to drain out of Seth's face, as if he was seeing something beyond horrifying.

Kane seemed to draw in a huge breath, although it still seemed to be questionable if he even _had_ to breathe when he was wearing his costume, but his shoulders straightened and he started to reach down, his fingers moving in the direction of Seth's throat. Seth's eyes widened and he began coughing as if he were already being choked.

Slowly, Kane bent over and even slower, put his fingers around Seth's neck. He straightened up, pulling Seth up with him. Seth rose to his feet as if pulled by strings, his face twisted in terror that they showed on the titantrons, moving as if he had lost control of his body and all movement was now subject to the whims of whatever Kane had become.

Kane threw him into the ring, where most of the fighting between Team Authority and the members of the locker room, had fallen outside of the ring, little tussles happening all over the floor. The only ones left in the ring were Roman and Dean with Kevin and Sheamus. Both men were so intent on the fights they were in, that they didn't seem to notice Seth lying in the center of the ring.

Kane walked over slowly, in that deliberate way he seemed to have developed. As people watched, he reached down and grabbed Seth by the throat and again, pulled him to his feet, moving him so he was face to face with Kane. Seth was staring into his eyes, with a look on his face as if he were seeing his future and the future was filled with horror.

Then the lights went out, which stopped everything. It wasn't for long, barely ten seconds, but when they went back on, Seth was crumpled on the floor. Kane was still standing there, but now he was looking into someone else's eyes, Finn Balor's eyes, but Finn was not Finn, he was the demon. A shocked “Ooh” went through the crowd as the two men who claimed the title of Demon stood, toe to toe, eye to eye.

In the commotion, Sheamus and Kevin had rolled from the ring, so only Dean, Roman and Seth were in there with Finn and Kane. They both stared at the two men, as if not quite sure what they were seeing. Then Finn, not taking his eyes off of Kane, waved his hand in the air, making a gesture indicating that Roman and Dean really needed to think about leaving the ring. Roman looked at Dean and the two men nodded. Then they ran over to Seth, grabbing him and helping him out of the ring. They helped him out, then over the barricade and started half carrying him through the crowd.

The cameras were split between showing Seth, Roman and Dean running from the ring, running from the stadium, and showing Finn Balor and Kane, still having a stare down in the middle of the ring.

_End of Chapter Seven_


	8. Epilogue

_**Raw July 18, 2016** _

 

The show opened with Kevin, Rhyno, Big Show, Stephanie, and Hunter coming out to the ring, among the usual mixture of cheering and boos. Seth was not with them, which no one seemed surprised at, although the Seth supporters waved signs wildly about, trying to catch the eye of everyone watching. Kane was also absent, which after the strange events of himself and Finn Balor during the PPV, made his lack of presence more ominous than if he was there.

“Well,” Cole said, as they were climbing into the ring, “Most of the Authority seems to be here.”

“I notice Kane isn't among them,” Saxton pointed out.

“He's probably taking a night off,” JBL said. “He worked hard last night, Stephanie and Hunter gave him the night off to relax. They're such considerate bosses.”

“I wonder what Kane does to relax,” Saxton mused.

“Why do you care, Byron?” JBL almost seemed to snap at him. Kane's a busy guy, what he does on his time off is his business.”

“JBL, even you have to admit that on SmackDown, then at Battlegrounds last night, Kane was acting very different.”

“Yeah,” Saxton agreed. “He wasn't even acting like he does when he's the Big Red Machine, though that was close. He was acting more powerful. And that costume! It wasn't like a regular costume, it was as if it was part of him.”

“Oh, _please!”_ JBL's disgust dripped off every word. “The man gets a new costume and you and Cole have to jump to all sorts of ridiculous conclusions. He got a new costume, so what! People around here get new costumes all the time and we don't notice that. Has this turned into a fashion show or something?”

“I heard backstage that the costume designers had nothing to do with that costume,” Cole said, his voice quiet. “Supposedly, Kane just showed up with it.”

“So?” JBL's disgust didn't lessen one bit. “He had his own costume made. Maybe someone made it for him as a gift.”

“Pretty creepy gift,” Saxton commented.

Up in the ring, Stephanie and Hunter thanked everyone for coming to Raw, which was greeted with the usual mixed chorus of boos and cheers. There was a few minutes of recapping things from the night before, showing highlights on the titantrons, but strangely, they did not seem to want to discuss the Main Event.

Finally, Kevin, who had been looking impatient the whole time, interrupted Stephanie, as she talked about how great it was to see the Woman's Tag Team Division start up again. “Seth isn't here!” he burst out, not seeming to care how rude it looked.

Rhyno looked puzzled as if his mind was going over who he had seen that whole day and then he nodded, agreeing with Kevin. If Seth was in the arena, no one had seen him.

“We know that,” Stephanie said, looking at him.

“Neither are Dean and Roman,” Kevin continued. “Did you give them the night off?”

“Not officially,” Hunter admitted. “But Seth is probably too injured to be here.”

“Most likely Roman and Dean took him to a quiet medical facility for help,” Stephanie said, as if Seth's needing medical attention was no more than a minor annoyance in her life. “I'm sure that's where they are.”

“I'm sure that's-” Kevin began in an unflattering imitation of Stephanie, then he realized what he was doing and stopped, which drew a puzzled look from Rhyno. “Did they call?” Kevin asked instead. “Roman, Dean, or Seth? Did they call to say they wouldn't be here tonight?”

“Well, no,” Hunter began.

“Then they quit!” Kevin proclaimed as if just by saying it, it was so. “If you don't show up and you don't call in you've quit. They've quit. You should tear up their contracts and get rid of them!”

Neither Hunter nor Stephanie looked too happy with Kevin's outburst, but tried to reason with him. “We can't just tear up their contracts,” Stephanie said. “There's more to it then that.”

“I don't see what more there could be,” Kevin countered. “As any _real_ boss at any job and they'll tell you, if someone doesn't show up for work, they've quit or the company fires them. That's the way the real world works. Are you saying that you two are soft on your employees?”

_“Kevin!”_ Hunter's voice was sharp. “You don't tell the Authority how to do their job, you just do what the Authority tells you.”

“And I _do!”_ Kevin said, nostrils flared, still looking angry. “ _I'm_ here. _Rhyno_ is here, all of us are here and if you may remember, we were ganged up on last night by over half the locker room!”

On cue, the Titantrons began showing highlights from the Main event, while the announcers gave a Readers Digest version of the previous night's events. The audience cheered as most of the roster ran to the stage and started pouring in to beat up on Kevin, Rhyno, Big Show and Sheamus. There was a close up of Dolph, holding Kevin and Cesaro punching him in the stomach before the cameras switched back to the ring.

Clearly, the little presentation did nothing to calm Kevin, and in fact seemed to only irritate him even more. “See? I was brutally and viciously attacked for no reason last night. If _anyone_ should be out on injury, it's me. But I'm here! Because I'm a good employee. But I guess that doesn't matter, does it? I guess if you're Seth Rollins or one of his stupid friends, you can do whatever you want. You want to take a night off from Raw? Go ahead! You want to have a little vacation, that's great, just take one! Don't worry, no one will mind.”

“Kevin!” Stephanie's voice was obsidian knife sharp, and the one word carried the weight of threat to back it up. “We never said we were just going to let this go.”

“No, we didn't,” Hunter agreed. “As a matter of fact, we do take a no-call no-show for Raw, very seriously.”

“ _Extremely_ seriously,” Stephanie said, the edge to her voice still just as sharp. “And that's why we're telling you, and everyone else here tonight, that if we have not heard from Roman, Dean, or Seth by the time SmackDown is over this week, there will be repercussion, and they will not be pleasant ones.” The camera zoomed in for a close up, and Stephanie turned her head so she was looking right into the camera, as if it were not a lens, but eyes she was looking into. “Do you hear that, Boys? Roman, Dean, Seth, I'm talking to you. I know wherever you are, you're watching this, and I'm here to tell you right now, that if you do not contact us by the time SmackDown is over this week? You're fired!”

The rest of Raw passed without a single word from Roman, Dean or Seth and no mention of them by anyone else. Even Kevin remained strangely quiet about the whole thing.

 

* * *

 

_July 18, 2016 After Raw_

“Rhyno, what's going on?”

“Terry,” the man corrected, looking at the young man who was addressing him. “We're not in the ring right now, my name is Terry Richards.” He grinned then, showing no hard feelings. “And everyone is right, you are the spit of your dad.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Neil rolled his eyes for a moment, then focused back on the man. “Terry,” he said, wondering if he should call him Mr. Richards instead, as his mother would have expected, but then deciding that since Terry Richards had emphasized his first name, that was what he wished to be called. “What's going on? Why are you here instead of our folks?”

“Yeah,” Payton chimed in. Sitting next to her on the sofa, Leah nodded too. “What's going on?”

“You guys are supposed to be sleeping,” Terry said, deliberately changing the subject. “I agreed to watch you, but I was told the three of you would be sleeping.” They were in Seth and Kayla's hotel suite, and Terry had agreed to watch out for the kids, while their parents all talked in Roman and Jessica's suite.

“How can you expect us to sleep with what just happened on Raw?” Neil demanded, looking put out as if Terry might be implying he was a child, who would fall asleep easily when expected to.

“Yeah,” Leah agreed, bouncing a couple of times on the sofa. She was wearing a pair of pajamas with tiny butterflies on them, that were exactly like the ones Payton was wearing. Neil was in pajamas too, but his were a solid, sky blue, containing no more embellishment than some navy blue piping, certainly nothing as immature or girlish as butterflies. His pajamas even had a tiny pocket on the front of the shirt, although what exactly, you should put in a pocket when going to bed, escaped him.

The three children were on the sofa, Terry had taken over a large lounge chair, moving it so he could look at the kids while they talked. He had helped himself to a beer from the refrigerator, figuring that if he was going to babysit, like any babysitter, raiding the refrigerator was part of the ritual. He took a sip from the beer as he looked at the kids. “Look, I don't know exactly what is going on, and what I do know isn't up to me to tell you. That's why you guys have parents.”

“But our parents aren't here,” Payton pointed out, “and _you_ are.”

“Yep,” Terry agreed, grinning. “I sure am. But my job is to watch the three of you. And your job is to be _sleeping.”_

“We're not tired,” Neil said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Are you going to tell our parents on us?”

“Nope,” Terry shook his head, taking another sip of beer. “I don't care if you sleep or not. We can stare at each other all night.”

“Can you at least tell us if our dad's are fired?” Leah asked, an edge of anxiousness in her voice.

Terry frowned. He had agreed to watch the kids and agreed not to tell them anything, but the original bargain also had three children who were supposed to be settled down and sleeping for this. He was supposed to be watching TV and making sure there was an adult for situations that might arise. Instead, when he came in and Seth and Kayla left, the three kids had come out of their rooms, sat on the sofa, and started piling him with questions. This qualified as a game changer and thus, he felt he could modify the rules. “Do you think your Dads are fired?” he asked.

“I don't know,” Payton admitted. “I wouldn't have thought so, because they're popular, but Mrs. Helmsley looked so angry when she said if they didn't show up for SmackDown, they'd be fired.”

“Right,” Terry nodded. “On the _show,_ Stephanie was upset. But you kids know it's a show, right?”

“Yeah,” Neil said quickly. “But-”

“Think about it,” Terry interrupted, “Your dads all went in to work tonight, like nothing happened, right?”

“Yeah,” Payton said, her brow furrowed.

“Okay, the _show_ said they hadn't shown up, but you knew they went in, right?”

“They went in early,” Leah said, frowning as she remembered. “They said they had to film a promo...” her voice trailed off. “But there was no promo shown! What's going on?”

“Who said the promo was for tonight?” Terry asked, instead of answering the question directly.

“Nobody,” Neil said, “But we assumed-”

“What's that saying about assuming?” Terry interrupted. “It makes an ass out of Ume?”

“You and me,” Neil corrected. “But what's going on? Why would they go to film a promo if they weren't even on the show?”

“I have no clue,” Terry said, resorting to his final weapon, straight out lying.

“So our dad's are fired?” Leah asked, clutching the hem of her pajama tops and twisting them in agitation.

“No,” Terry could be honest on that one. “If your dads were fired, they wouldn't have reported. And, you wouldn't be in this hotel would you? You'd be flying home. Probably coach.”

“Dad hates coach,” Neil said, still frowning. “He says it has no leg room.”

“Then it's a good thing your dad didn't get fired.” Terry raised the bottle to his lips and finished it off in one last, long, swallow. “Now, which one of you wants to go get your Uncle Terry another beer?”

 

* * *

 

**_SmackDown July 19, 2016_ **

 

By not being present, Roman, Dean, and Seth's presence was felt all over SmackDown. Every hesitation, people expected them to show up, every camera shot to the audience, people looked around as if expecting to see them making an entrance through the crowd.

But they didn't make an appearance.

They kept cutting in and out of the ring action with scenes showing various members of the Authority, asking security guards to please let them know if Roman, Dean or Seth showed up.

There was one promo where Kevin went and told security that if Roman, Seth, or Dean showed up, they were supposed to get Kevin immediately, that him and only him was to escort them to Stephanie and Hunter. He also assigned Rhyno, Nobel, and Mercury, each to a separate entrance, just to be sure.

After one match, they showed Jamie standing at the entrance he had been assigned, looking solemn. After the commercial break, they showed Joey at his post, talking seriously with the guard, looking as if he was making 100% sure, the guard knew what he was supposed to be doing.

After the next match, they showed Rhyno at his station, playing “Rock/Paper/Scissors” with the guard. The men were laughing when they both got “Rock.”

The final commercial break was ten minutes before the show was over. And when they came back, the Authority, again minus Kane, but including Rhyno and J&J were in the ring. Also in the ring was a small, short legged red grill on a table, the type you would expect to see brought along for a camping trip or a picnic.

“As you can see, Ladies and Gentlemen,” Micheal Cole announced. “The Authority has set up some type of… barbecue grill. Exactly why we don't really know...” his voice trailed off hesitantly.

“Maybe they're going to have a little cookout to show their appreciation for Kevin and R&J&J,” JBL suggested.

“I really don't think they'll have a cookout in the middle of the ring,” Saxton said.

“Why not?” JBL said, sounding jubilant. “Everybody loves a barbecue! What better way to show your loyal employees you care?”

“That's not a very big grill to feed Kevin and company,” Cole pointed out.

The cameras focused in on the ring where Kevin was grinning. Stephanie had the microphone and the camera did a close up on her. “Well, it's getting near the end of the night,” she said, stating the obvious as if she really might believe this would surprise people.

“And Seth and his little friends haven't shown up,” Kevin interrupted, “And according to what you said yesterday, this means they're fired.”

“We know that,” Hunter said, managing to only sound slightly exasperated at Kevin's impatience.

“That's why we have this grill out here,” Stephanie said. “Because if we're going to do this, we're going to do it, right.” She looked over at Hunter who reached into his suit pocket and pulled out some folded papers, which he handed to Stephanie, who held them up. “We have here, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins's contracts!”

“Do you really think-” Cole said.

“Yep!” JBL was practically chortling. “She's going to show those hooligans that this is _her_ arena, and this is what happens when you mess with the boss!”

Carefully, Stephanie put the contracts on to the little grill. Then she again nodded to Triple H, who pulled one of those long stemmed lighters out of his pocket. She took the lighter and handed it to Kevin as if she were offering a favorite child a much loved treat. “Kevin, would you like to do the honors?”

Kevin took the lighter with a smug grin. He made a great show of flicking the switch until it lit. Then he brought the flame down to the pile of papers, lying in the grill.

“Uh, you might not want to be so hasty, Kevin!” Dean's voice echoed through the stadium, seeming to come from every direction. Surprised, Kevin dropped the lighter, which caused it to go out. He looked around along with the rest of the Authority, as if they expected Dean to just show up in the ring.

“Up here, idiots,” Dean said.

The camera panned out to show a closeup of Dean's face on the titantron. You couldn't see much around him, it was obvious he was in a dimly lit place, but if you squinted, you might get the impression that there were log walls behind him.

Then the camera wherever they were, panned out and you saw he was sitting at a table. Sitting next to him was Seth, looking bandaged and bruised, even in the dim lighting. On the other side of Seth was Roman. The way they were sitting, there was a feeling that Roman and Dean were protecting Seth, and that while Seth was ashamed he needed it, he was also grateful he had it.

“Dean Ambrose,” Dean quietly said.

“Roman Reigns,” Roman chimed in

“Seth Rollins,” Seth's voice was barely a whisper.

Even thought the introductions were unnecessary, the feeling was that they had formalized the event, turned it into something more than just an interruption. The audience was left with the impression that something of great importance was about to take place.

“You know, the three of us have been talking,” Dean said, leaning forward so he was really looking into the camera, as if he were staring into the viewer's eyes. “And we've realized, we've lost our way.”

“That's right,” Roman agreed, his jaw set in a firm line.

Seth said nothing, but nodded his agreement.

“We've gotten caught up in belts and championships, merchandising,” Dean said. "Trying to get to the top."

“Yeah,” Roman said, nodding. “We bought into your games, Hunter, we started thinking it was all about the paycheck.”

The cameras showed Hunter's face, he did not look happy, and scowled at the three men. But he did not interrupt them, either.

Seth swallowed and spoke, his voice still soft, but getting stronger with every word. “That wasn't why we started. That wasn't what we came to the WWE for.”

“We came for _justice,_ ” Roman said, continuing smoothly from what Seth had said. “We saw _in_ justice going on and we came to stop it.”

“But we got caught up in all the crap. We bought in.” Seth said, his voice falling on the words, “bought in.” “Especially me.”

“We forgot what we were about," Dean said. And even though the lighting wherever they were, seemed to be no more than candlelight, you could see Dean's hair was slicked back, you could see the determined set in his jaw, an expression that had been missing since that night Seth had sold out his brothers. "We let the Authority run roughshod over the entire roster, picking and choosing, who would win and who wouldn't."

"So much injustice," Roman said, sadly shaking his head.

"The Authority set themselves up to be the end all and be all," Seth said, his voice getting stronger. "They fooled me, tricked me into believing that all that mattered was my loyalty to them."

"And what did that get you?" Dean asked, looking away from the camera and directly at Seth. Then before Seth could answer, Dean decided to answer himself. "It got you beat up, it got your brutalized. Five against one, Hunter," he turned his body and stared at Hunter. "That isn't fair, that isn't _just_ ice. That's _just_ wrong."

"And we're going to stop it," Roman said, his voice firm and confident, giving a small nod to go along with his words.

"That's right," Dean agreed, grinning now, but it wasn't his usual "Happy-Scary-Dean" grin, the audience had grown use to, this was a cold grin, a firm grin. The grin of a man who would brook no nonsense anymore, a man who had gone to the end of the rope, fallen into the pit, then grabbed back onto that rope and was hauling himself out. "The days of the Authority being the only ones in charge? Those days are _over._ We'll be back, and when we do? Watch out, Hunter, watch out Stephanie, and you too, Pieboy and friends, because when you try to put the roster down? We'll be there. We'll stop you. We'll make sure the WWE is fair and _just."_

"Because the hounds of Justice will be watching every move you make." Roman said. "And if you step out of line, we'll be there to stop it. Believe that!"

"I'm Dean Ambrose," Dean said, putting his fist out over the table.

"I'm Seth Rollins," Seth said, doing the same.

"And I'm Roman Reigns." Roman's fists joined the other two, and all three men said in unison, "And we are, The Shield."

* * *

 

Three families, three men, three women, three children were in a private lounge at the airport. There were special lounges scattered about the airport, open only to various customers of various importance. For some, you merely needed to be a frequent flier. For others, more criteria needed to be met. Many different things could factor into this, such as your wealth, social standing, celebrity status. This particular lounge was almost at the top of the chain, the only one higher was reserved for important political or military persons.

It was sleek and comfortable, overlooking the tarmac, furnished in subdued colors and masculine furniture, cleaned every day so the room always smelled faintly like good leather. For ease and speed of cleaning, the floor was laminate, designed to look like wood, but done so carefully, that one would really have to be a floor expert, or willing to invest a great deal of time to realize it wasn't true wood. Outlets for plugging in computers or recharging cellphones were everywhere, along with a few tables. But most of the furniture was designed for groups to be able to sit at comfortably and informally. Leather sofas faced each other with oversized leather armchairs on either sides, giving these areas a sense of privacy.

There were bathrooms off of this lounge, for use of lounge guests only. Much more luxurious bathrooms than were seen by the normal passengers. There were even a room with private shower stalls, just in case your layover was a little longer than expected and you wished to freshen up.

As far away from the seating areas as possible, was a full bar staffed at all times with at least two bartenders and various other staff who had been specially trained to be able to sense a raised finger, a subtle indication of a need for service almost before the guest themselves realized they were doing it. And once the gesture was made, even though the staff would never be so crass as to run over, it was usually less than ten seconds before someone was there to ask what was needed or wanted. They would bring you drinks or food, of course. In the old days before cell phones were everywhere, they would bring you a telephone to which no one had to dial nine to reach an outside line. Should you have the time to take a quick nap, they would happily bring you a pillow and a blanket and if you asked them, they would make sure you were awake in plenty of time to get you to your gate. If some cases, they would even call the gate and ask that your plane be delayed in departure until you could board.

The entire lounge spoke of power and status and most kids would have found the place intimidating. However, Payton, Leah, and Neil had been in these types of lounges before and they really didn't care. The three of them were sitting on one of the comfortable leather sofas, there parents across from them in comfortable oversized leather chairs or on another comfortable leather sofa and they were looking at them with looks of exasperation only a child can give, when a child feels he or she has been strung along for too long.

_“Spill it!”_ Neil demanded, before the staff employee could bring him the soda he had asked for only seconds earlier when all of them had ordered a drink of some type.

“Neil!” Cinnamon's voice was soft, as if she knew that harsh noises would sound twice as harsh in this subdued place, but still not willing to let her son get too carried away.

“Sorry,” Neil muttered, but didn't look sorry at all. “But it's not _fair!_ We know Shield is back together, we watched SmackDown being taped last night, but there's more going on!”

“Yeah,” Leah chimed in. She was often the stout defender of whatever Neil suggested, but in this case, there was no favoritism being shown. All three kids knew something was in the air, they just didn't know what. “You said you weren't gonna be back to the show for awhile, what happens? Are you going to be able to come home for a bit, or does this mean, you're over doing a tour in Nowhere or something?”

“You told me Sunday that next week at that time I'd be thrilled,” Payton chimed in, her voice softer. She believed in her da, even though she knew something was going on, something that the fathers had known for awhile, and the mothers had learned Monday night, she had faith the news would be good. It was just the not knowing that was making her crazy. It had been hard enough Monday, when it looked like her da and uncles would be fired. Even then she had remembered Da telling her she would be happy, part of her feared he might think her happiness was that if he did get fired, he'd be around a lot more. And while that would be wonderful, she also knew her da well enough to know that Seth Rollins would never be happy, at least not now, unless he was a wrestler for the WWE. “So far I'm not thrilled, I'm _confused!”_

“How long are you going to be out of the ring?” Neil said, sounding a little more demanding than his mother wished, but a little less than he wished. “Are we all going home together?”

“We'll be out of the ring for a little over a month,” Dean said, unable to resist grinning, even though he knew it would not make his son very happy. “We'll be back for Summer Slam, which is the last Sunday in August.”

“Okay,” Neil said, exhaling slowly as he said the word. “So, you're coming home with Mom and me? We're going to spend some time together as a family?” His voice rose hopefully.

“Not exactly,” Dean said.

All three children exhaled noisily and exasperated. “Dean!” Cinnamon said, looking at him, clearly telling him that the joke of keeping these kids on the edges of their seats was over, it was time to spill the beans. Dean responded maturely by sticking his tongue out at his wife.

“How would you kids like to spend a month together?” Roman asked, deciding that if they waited for Dean to tell the kids, they might all miss their flights.

The kids looked from one another, then to their mothers, who all smiled. This was a good sign. “Where?” Neil asked. “Our house? That would be cool! We can play in my wrestling ring and-”

“Not at our house,” Dean interrupted, knowing that Neil could wax lyrical about his backyard wrestling ring and his neighborhood.

“Nobody's house,” Seth continued. “Instead, we're going to be staying on a private island.”

“Where?” Leah almost demanded.

“New England,” Roman said, smiling at his daughter's impatience to want to know everything instantly.

“It's a big lake,” Seth further explained. “The shores of the lake are pretty much private property, but there is an island in the middle of it, about a mile and a half from the closest shore.”

“It's a place for companies to have retreats with groups of employees,” Dean said, deciding that if the beans were dropped, he might as well join in with giving information. “Team building exercises, things like that. But we're going to have the whole place to ourselves for the month. Swimming, fishing, all types of things. And if we get bored on the island, we can take a boat to the shore and go into town. They have electricity and satellite too, so you guys can keep up with your internet friends and watch Raw and SmackDown, although why you'd want to watch it if we're not going to be on it is beyond me.” The last was said with a rather cheeky grin.

_“All_ of us?” Leah asked, needing to confirm this. “The whole month? Us three kids, our moms and our dads? Together? A whole month?”

“Yes,” Jessica said, smiling.

The kids looked at each other, eyes wide. In that way children have, their study of each other showed them that no, they hadn't misunderstood, that the information being given was truthful. Silence carried over the lounge as the kids absorbed the information, digested it, and came to their own conclusions.

Payton was the first to break the silence, she ran over and threw her arms around Seth, hugging him tightly. “A month!” she exclaimed happily “A whole month of you and Leah and Neil and Uncle Roman, Uncle Dean, Aunt Cinnamon and Aunt Kayla!”

Leah was next, she too flew into her father's arms, but not without giving an enthusiastic pump of her fists first. Neil was last, and feeling self conscious, he wanted not to run and hug his father, fearing it might look too babyish, then unable to resist, especially when Dean held his arms open with a look that clearly said, “What about me?” he leaped from the sofa and flew into his fathers arms, hugging him, allowing himself to be hugged.

And the subdued atmosphere of the lounge was temporarily disrupted by the joy of three happy families with children who might have just gotten the best news of their short lives.

The End.


End file.
